Subsea Tech was present at Jouques, France at the beginning of September in order to carry out a series of inspections following the award of a call for tenders. The customer, EDF (French electric utility company), wanted to explore the part of the Durance canal that supplies the Jouques hydroelectric plant, near Marseilles.
The operation, which took place over 2 days, included various missions that enabled Subsea Tech to implement many skills and equipment:
- Modelling (3D sonar) of the grid map
- Location of submerged jams
- Bathymetry
The proposed method, based on the use of a unmanned surface vehicle and a multibeam sonar, is completely innovative since it does not involve any diving operations or operators on the water surface. The use of real-time and remote visualization of submerged structures make it possible to considerably reduce the human risk, containing the main constraint of so-called conventional methods (manned boat, divers, etc.).
