Ireland turns to drones to speed power recovery after storm damage

When two back-to-back storms knocked out power for more than 700,000 homes, businesses, and farms across Ireland last winter, the country’s national electricity utility ESB needed a faster way to get the lights back on. The solution? Drones.

ESB has tapped Cyberhawk, a drone-based inspections and visual data management specialist, under a five-year agreement to strengthen its grid resilience and accelerate storm recovery. The partnership is part of ESB’s Winter Resilience Program, which aims to make Ireland’s power network more reliable in the face of extreme weather.

The need became urgent after storms Darragh and Eowyn battered the country in December 2024 and January 2025, leaving widespread damage to both high-voltage transmission lines and local distribution networks. Within days, Cyberhawk deployed drone teams to inspect more than 112 miles (180 km) of ESB’s distribution network, focusing on over 1,000 densely forested areas where downed trees and debris threatened power lines.

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The real game-changer came with Cyberhawk’s iHawk platform, a cloud-based system that allowed ESB engineers to visualize storm damage almost in real time. By quickly mapping out fallen trees, damaged assets, and vegetation encroachment, ESB could prioritize where crews were needed most, speeding up debris clearance and maintenance planning.

“Speed and scale were critical in our response to the storm damage,” says Elaine Hannan, overhead lines asset manager at ESB Networks. “Cyberhawk’s combination of expert field operations and its iHawk platform allowed us to quickly understand the condition of our network. It helped bridge the gap between data collection, decision-making, and action, delivering immediate value to our teams.”

This collaboration marks a significant shift for ESB, which has traditionally focused its inspections on high-voltage infrastructure. Expanding drone coverage to distribution networks means faster recovery times for everyday customers, and fewer prolonged blackouts during future storms.

Cyberhawk says ESB’s openness to innovation sets a benchmark for other utilities facing similar climate challenges. “This program demonstrates the power of combining aerial intelligence with actionable analytics,” says Patrick Saracco, Cyberhawk’s senior vice president EMEA.

With more extreme weather on the horizon, ESB’s approach could serve as a blueprint for utilities worldwide looking to boost reliability and keep the lights on when storms strike.

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