BP PLC signed a five-year contract to use drones for its oil
operations in Alaska, the first large-scale, government-approved
commercial use of unmanned aircraft in the U.S.
BP said it has hired AeroVironment Inc. to use the California
drone maker's 13.5-pound aircraft to capture and analyze data about
BP's operations at its Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska, one of the
largest oil fields in North America, including 3-D maps of its
roads, pipelines and well pads there.
The operation, which began on Sunday, marks the first routine
commercial drone flights in the U.S. approved by the Federal
Aviation Administration, and comes amid growing excitement about
the commercial market for unmanned aircraft.
The FAA has approved one other drone for commercial use, the
40-pound ScanEagle made by Boeing Co. subsidiary Insitu Inc., but
that device has only been used in trial flights off the coast of
Alaska by ConocoPhillips.
The FAA prohibits the commercial use of drones in the U.S.
without its approval. The agency aims to propose a long-delayed
rule later this year that would make it easier to operate small
drones commercially. Until then, drone makers and users must
complete a lengthy certification process, similar to that of manned
aircraft, if they want FAA approval for commercial uses.
AeroVironment spokesman Steve Gitlin said it took about a year
and considerable monetary investment to get FAA approval. "If
that's what it takes to prove the commercial viability, then it's
something we're committed to doing," he said.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, who oversees the FAA,
said in a news release that BP's use of drones is "another
important step toward broader commercial use of unmanned
aircraft."
Curt Smith, a director in BP's technology office, said that
manned aircraft are sometimes less expensive for each flight than
the AeroVironment devices, but that the drones will gather far more
data, enabling BP to operate "more effectively, more safely and at
a lower cost."
For instance, he said, BP relies heavily on gravel roads that it
must constantly maintain. AeroVironment's Puma drones, which are
hand-launched and have a 9-foot wingspan, use laser-based sensors
that can pinpoint problems on the roads, identify how they should
be repaired and calculate how much gravel is needed, the companies
said.
The drones also can create 3-D models of gravel pits, calculate
how much gravel remains and identify areas that are vulnerable to
flooding. After the drones' first 3-D model of a pit there,
officials overseeing it said, "That's more data in 45 minutes than
we've gotten in the last 30 years," Mr. Smith said. "It's
revolutionary."
The companies said they could also use the drones to monitor
wildlife, ice floes and BP's infrastructure and to respond to oil
spills or search-and-rescue missions.
Despite the FAA's effective ban on commercial drones, many U.S.
entrepreneurs in recent months have employed the devices to make
maps, film movies, inspect infrastructure and monitor crops. But BP
is one of the first major companies to invest in the technology for
its operations.
"We went through and thought about all the applications that we
could use these for. We've got a whole list of things," said Mr.
Smith of BP. Once the company vets the technology further and the
regulatory landscape becomes clearer, he said, "we'll be taking
[drones] to other onshore fields around the world."
Write to Jack Nicas at jack.nicas@wsj.com
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