To address the logistical challenges of power grid construction in mountainous areas while protecting the ecological environment, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality has completed its first aerial transportation of transmission tower components using heavy-lift drones.

The operation concluded on Saturday as part of a renovation project on the 35-kilovolt Xitu Line, which involves 15 towers.

In Zhongliang Township of Wuxi County, northeast Chongqing, a heavy-lift drone carrying 289 kilograms of steel tower materials ascended along its planned route and flew straight toward Tower No. 17 of the Xitu Line.

After approximately 20 minutes, the drone hovered above the tower foundation and lowered the payload precisely onto the designated area. With drone assistance, all materials for the entire tower, which stands over 40 meters tall, were completed in just over two hours.

In the project, a total of 125.44 tons of tower materials for the 15 towers located on steep terrain were delivered exclusively by drones.

"The use of heavy-lift drones to transport transmission tower materials has demonstrated multiple significant advantages. Capable of flying directly over mountains, villages and other obstacles, the drones are well suited to complex terrain and eliminate the need to build winding mountain access roads. Compared with traditional mule-and-horse transport, overall costs are greatly reduced. Materials that originally required three days to deliver for a single tower now only take half a day," said Chen Tao, a staff member of the Construction Department, State Grid Chongqing Wuxi Power Supply Company.

Using drone to transport materials minimized the need for temporary road construction and eliminated tree felling, effectively protecting natural forests and preventing damage to mountain vegetation.

By reducing carbon emissions and ecological disturbance, drone transportation has achieved both environmental protection and economic efficiency.