On Friday, Aug. 16, Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota announced that the FAA has issued waivers for North Dakota’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) and electric services company Xcel Energy, which will allow each entity to conduct a wider range of UAS flights without a chase plane or other visual observers.

“These updated waivers for the North Dakota IPP and Xcel Energy are a big win, and with them in place, companies across the country should recognize that our state is the location of choice for advanced UAS operations,” Senator Hoeven says.

“The waivers strengthen the federal, state and private partnerships we’ve built and enable the testing and implementation of this technology for public, commercial, rural and urban applications. That means our test site and pilot program can provide unmatched opportunities to demonstrate the benefits of unmanned aircraft, including cost-savings and safer working environments, while also helping to advance the technology’s full and safe integration into the national airspace.” 

The waiver for the North Dakota UAS IPP expands North Dakota’s ability to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights in urban environments and over people. The waiver also incorporates the night flight authorization, which Hoeven helped secure for the Northern Plains UAS Test Site into the IPP’s operations.

For Xcel, the new waiver “moves the company from an authority based on a specific location to one based on meeting certain operational criteria,” which significantly expands the company’s ability to test and develop UAS applications. With the waiver, Xcel will now be able to conduct UAS flights without a visual observer within 100 feet above and 20 feet laterally of its transmission lines across eight states, including in North Dakota.

“Our work on unmanned aircraft systems with Senator Hoeven demonstrates that collaboration benefits our customers, the economy and the environment,” says Kent Larson, executive vice president and group president of operations for Xcel Energy.

“Our latest waiver is a significant step forward as we build on our industry leading use of drones to improve the safety and reliability of the electrical grid. North Dakota is a national pioneer in developing new ways to use drone technology, and we thank the senator for his leadership and support integrating drones into the national airspace.”