Specialised Service

Power Station Inspection

Engineering-grade inspection of coal, gas, and renewable power generation infrastructure. Boiler halls, flue gas ducts, cooling towers, smokestacks, ash plant, and switchyard structures. Operated under utility safety standards, signed by registered professional engineers.

Trusted by
Sasol Eskom Impala Platinum Sibanye-Stillwater Afrimat Growthpoint Concor Stefanutti Stocks Zutari Infrastructure South Africa
In short

Power station inspection covers boiler halls, flue gas ducts, cooling towers, smokestacks, and switchyards. Delta Scan uses drones and confined-space capture to inspect these structures at engineering depth under utility safety standards, with no scaffolding and minimal disruption to operations.

Power stations are among the most asset-intensive, safety-critical, and operationally constrained inspection environments in heavy industry. Eskom-scale stations operate with limited planned outage windows, complex permit-to-work systems, and inspection scopes that conventionally required scaffolding, rope access, and extended unit downtime.

Delta Scan delivers power station inspection across boiler hall steel, flue gas ducting (including post-incident assessment), cooling tower internals and externals, smokestack condition, ash plant infrastructure, switchyard structures, and conveyor and ash handling systems. Our Kusile engagement (multiple weeks of confined-space drone inspection at 150m elevation in damaged flue gas ducts) demonstrates the operational depth at which we work.

Selected output

Plant, digitised to the bolt.

Confined-space and external plant capture turned into navigable twins and measured models for outage-window condition assessment.

When to use it

Typical engagements.

Each scenario below represents a real-world trigger for this service. If your situation matches one of these, get in touch.

Scheduled major maintenance shutdown

Pre-shutdown inspection establishes the actual work scope before scaffolding is committed. Maintenance contractors arrive with precise defect locations rather than allowance-based estimates.

Post-incident assessment

After flue gas duct failure, fire, or rock-burst-style mechanical incident, drone capture enables engineering assessment of the affected area without personnel exposure to a potentially unstable structure.

Routine condition surveys

Cooling tower internals, smokestack condition, boiler hall steel, ash plant structures. Annual or biennial cycle establishes condition trend and supports capital planning.

Decommissioning and life-extension planning

Aged Eskom stations approaching end of design life require quantitative condition data to support life-extension or decommissioning planning.

How it works

Our process.

A repeatable five-stage workflow. The same disciplined sequence runs whether the site is a 500-hectare mining operation or a single 60-metre bridge.

01

Permit and isolation planning

Power station work operates under strict permit-to-work and isolation procedures. Pre-deployment co-ordination with the operator covers atmospheric testing, electrical isolation, hot work permitting where applicable, and emergency egress.

02

Platform selection

ELIOS 3 for confined-space and post-incident work (boiler internals, damaged ducts, smokestack interior). DJI Matrice 400 for exterior, roof, and cooling tower external. NavVis VLX 3 for accessible interior and switchyard.

03

Captured under operating conditions

Where shutdown is not available, capture is performed under operating conditions with appropriate platform selection. Cooling tower external surveys, switchyard inspection, conveyor structure survey, and external boiler structure all run live.

04

AI defect detection and Pr Eng review

Standard Delta Scan defect pipeline: AI detection of concrete spalling, corrosion, steelwork displacement, refractory damage, and ash accumulation. Pr Eng review and severity classification against power station inspection standards.

05

Engineering audit report

Signed deliverable covering each inspected area: defect map with severity, recommended interventions sequenced by criticality, material quantification for repair work, and integration with the operator's outage planning. Delivered through DeltaCloud.

Request a power station inspection scoping call See the Kusile case study
Equipment

What we use.

Calibrated, sector-matched hardware combined with proprietary software. The capture stack is selected for the asset, not the other way around.

Flyability ELIOS 3

Flyability ELIOS 3

Primary platform for confined-space power station work. Boiler internals, flue gas ducts, cooling tower internals, smokestack interiors. Used at Kusile under permit conditions.

DJI Matrice 400 with Zenmuse H30T

DJI Matrice 400 with Zenmuse H30T

Exterior inspection. Cooling tower externals, smokestack exteriors, switchyard structures. Thermal imaging for boiler hot-spot detection.

Omnispect 360

Omnispect 360

Annotated 360-degree video for cooling tower internals, large duct interiors, and process plant areas. Structured engineering review workflow.

Sectors

Where this fits.

The same engineering discipline applies across Coal-fired generation, Gas-fired and combined cycle, Renewable generation, Transmission and distribution. The detail changes with the asset class and the operational context.

Coal-fired generation

Eskom-scale and IPP coal stations: boiler hall, ash plant, flue gas duct, cooling tower, smokestack, conveyor system

Gas-fired and combined cycle

Gas turbine hall, HRSG, stack, switchyard, balance-of-plant structures

Renewable generation

Solar PV mounting structure inspection, wind tower and blade condition survey, hydro intake and tailrace structures

Transmission and distribution

Substation structures, transformer bunding, pylon condition for transmission line surveys (where commissioned)

Selected work

Recent engagements.

Specific projects where this service was deployed. Each links to the full case study with metrics, equipment, and outcomes.

FAQ

Frequent questions.

Direct answers to the questions clients ask most often before engaging.

Can you work during normal generation?

Yes, where the work scope does not require unit shutdown. External cooling tower, smokestack exterior, switchyard, and conveyor structures all run live. Confined-space interior work requires unit out and isolation per the operator's permit-to-work system.

How does this compare to scaffolding-based inspection?

For a typical cooling tower internal inspection, scaffolding-based inspection is 14 to 21 days of erection, 5 to 10 days of inspection, and 7 to 10 days of strike, at significant capital cost. ELIOS 3 internal inspection is 2 to 5 days total, no scaffolding cost, no operator personnel inside the structure.

Is this suitable for Eskom procurement?

Yes. We operate within Eskom's permit-to-work and contractor management framework. Our engineering reports follow the structure Eskom engineering teams require for capital and maintenance planning input.

What about IPP and independent generators?

IPP and independent generators are a regular client segment. Reporting can be aligned to specific commercial structures (lender requirements, off-take agreement reporting, insurance covenants) where required.

Related services

If this fits, these often do too.

Engineering programmes rarely run on a single service. These adjacent capabilities most often pair with the work above.

Accuracy & standards

Built to be signed, not just shared.

Pr EngECSA 202001436

Every engineering deliverable is reviewed and signed by Darryl Epstein, a registered Professional Engineer (Pr Eng, ECSA 202001436).

SAGIsurvey

Geospatial deliverables carry registered land-surveyor sign-off where accuracy must be certified.

Classstated

Every deliverable carries a stated survey accuracy class or BIM level of development (LOD), reported per engagement against check-point analysis.

Standardscited

Findings cross-referenced to the applicable codes (SANS, TMH, EN), with accuracy statements on every report.

Start here

Request a power station inspection scoping call

Send the brief and our engineering team will review your enquiry and reply within one business day. Prefer to talk first? Call or WhatsApp us below.

Response within 1 business day · Pr Eng or SAGI signed

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