PiteEnergi

Background

PiteEnergi operates and maintains the electricity distribution network in and around Piteå, a region in northern Sweden characterized by long distances, dense forests, and harsh winter conditions. The company’s service area spans remote terrain that is difficult to access for much of the year — making traditional, field-based inspections both time-consuming and physically demanding.

To ensure reliability across such a challenging environment, PiteEnergi needed a smarter way to understand the health and condition of its grid. The company sought a solution that could replace manual, on-site inspections — often carried out by car or snowmobile — with a digital, centralized process that would provide a full overview of the network from afar.

The challenge

For years, much of PiteEnergi’s inspection work involved field crews traveling long distances to locate and assess faults or verify the condition of assets. This approach was slow, labor-intensive, and occasionally unsafe, especially during winter months when access routes were limited.

The combination of large geographical coverage and limited personnel resources made it difficult to conduct inspections with the frequency and accuracy needed to maintain reliability.

PiteEnergi needed a solution that could:

• Deliver high-quality condition insights without requiring constant field travel.
  
• Allow remote review and prioritization of inspection results from a central location.
  
• Improve worker safety by reducing physical exposure to difficult and hazardous terrain.
• Increase operational efficiency by focusing fieldwork only where it’s truly needed.

The solution

To achieve this, PiteEnergi partnered with Arkion to deploy AI-powered analysis across its grid inspection program. Using drone-captured imagery, Arkion’s platform automatically identifies and classifies defects, providing detailed visual insights directly accessible from a central office.

With this approach, PiteEnergi can:

• Conduct comprehensive inspections of its entire network without sending teams into the field for every line segment.
  
• View, verify, and prioritize inspection results remotely through Arkion’s digital platform.
  
• Target field deployments only to areas where AI has identified critical issues, optimizing time and resources.
  
• Continuously improve data quality and accuracy through Arkion’s human-in-the-loop verification process.
  

By replacing manual visual checks and vehicle-based inspections with centralized AI analysis, PiteEnergi has gained both speed and precision in its maintenance planning — while drastically reducing operational risk for field personnel.

Impact

With Arkion’s AI-powered analysis service, PiteEnergi has transformed how it inspects and manages its network.

• Safety first: Fewer field visits mean lower risk for personnel and safer operations year-round.
  
• Efficiency gains: Centralized analysis has dramatically reduced the time and cost of inspections.
  
• Data-driven maintenance: AI detection ensures that only verified issues trigger field actions.
  
• Reliability improvement: Consistent and objective condition assessments strengthen long-term grid performance.
  
  

This shift has allowed PiteEnergi to achieve the same — and often better — inspection quality without the logistical burden of constant fieldwork. What once required extensive travel across remote terrain can now be reviewed in detail from a single screen.

Looking ahead

By adopting AI-powered asset analytics, PiteEnergi has laid the foundation for a safer, smarter, and more efficient approach to grid management. The company is now equipped to extend these digital capabilities toward predictive maintenance and vegetation management — ensuring that even in Sweden’s most remote regions, the grid remains reliable, resilient, and ready for the future.

About PiteEnergi

PiteEnergi is a regional energy company responsible for power distribution and network maintenance in Piteå, northern Sweden. Operating in a region defined by challenging geography and long winters, PiteEnergi is committed to innovation and sustainability — leveraging AI and drone technology to enhance safety, efficiency, and reliability across its grid.