Heavy-lift drone debuts in China's Chongqing to transport transmission tower materials

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.

Heavy-lift drone debuts in China's Chongqing to transport transmission tower materials

U.S. economic activity rose slightly in most districts, with three regions reporting no changes and one region experiencing a moderate decline, the U.S. Federal Reserve said in its Beige Book released on Thursday.

This indicates an improvement compared to the last three reporting periods, during which most regions reported little change in economic activity, according to the Beige Book.

It shows that the outlook for future activity is mildly optimistic, with most expecting slight to modest growth in the coming months.

Most banks reported that the consumer spending went up slightly over the holiday season, buoyed by strong spending from higher-income consumers. Employment was mostly unchanged in the most recent period, with eight of the twelve districts reporting no changes in hiring. Prices grew at a moderate rate across a large majority of districts, with only two districts reporting slight price growth, the survey said.

Cost pressures resulting from tariffs were a consistent theme across all districts, it said.

The Beige Book, officially known as the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District, is a survey on economic conditions based on information collected from its 12 regional reserve banks. It is published eight times per year.

US economic activity shows moderate growth amid inflation pressure: Fed Beige Book