Teréga and Thales explore pioneering solutions to ensure safe use of long-range UAVs

Under an agreement signed by Thales with Teréga, a gas operator and accelerator of the energy transition, Thales will deploy a solution based on long-range UAVs to monitor Teréga’s gas pipeline network. The alliance will make it possible to use drones safely to monitor infrastructure beyond visual line of sight, reducing the environmental impact and operating costs of pipeline surveillance while delivering an enhanced level of service.

The memorandum of understanding between Teréga and Thales covers technical solutions to ensure compliance with French and European regulations on unmanned flights. The Thales solutions will enable 50% of Teréga’s over 5,000-kilometre gas pipeline network to be monitored by UAVs, ultimately limiting reliance on the manned aircraft and helicopters in use today, reducing environmental impact and operating costs, and increasing monitoring frequency. Initial tests over unpopulated areas began in mid-November 2020.

To ensure regulatory compliance, Thales is developing a package of technologies that combines robotics, safety and security systems and certified avionics to guarantee the highest levels of safety for UAV operations:

trackers to identify, track and control UAVs safely and securely
geocaging solutions developed with the support of the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) to guarantee that UAVs cannot fly outside their authorised airspace
anti-jamming solutions to protect the UAV's onboard GPS sensors.

These technologies enable Thales to identify UAVs, secure their flight patterns within a predetermined airspace and maintain their airworthiness.

“As a committed and responsible gas operator in France, Teréga has always considered the safety, security and integrity of our infrastructure an absolute priority. Using UAVs to monitor our networks in real time is a future-oriented solution that will give us a clearer picture of our infrastructure for enhanced reliability. Teréga is proud to have the opportunity to draw on Thales’s expertise for this project.” Patrick Hamou, Director of Operations for Teréga.

“This collaboration with Teréga is a practical illustration of the huge potential of long-range UAVs when operational safety can be guaranteed. It is a major step forward in the development of the UAV industry, and we’re especially proud to be conducting this pioneering project in southwest France, where both our companies have strong roots.” Marc Duval-Destin, Vice-President Strategy, Product Policy and Innovation for Thales’s Flight Avionics business.