The State Grid Zhenjiang Power Supply Company deployed its crab-like bucket arm vehicle for the first time this summer at 5 am on July 22 to fix a fault near a rice field in the town of Baqiao in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province.

The tracked insulated bucket arm vehicle addressed an emergency defect on the 10 kilovolt Yongfu line. With its signature tracked design, the vehicle can carry out power repair work in muddy and slippery conditions, ensuring stable power supply during the peak summer period. The fault occurred near dirt roads crisscrossed by water networks, with complex traffic conditions.

"If we used traditional wheeled vehicles, the road would need to be prepared before work could be done, which would take a long time. Relying on manual pole replacement alone would result in long power outages and have a significant impact," said Fan Junyao, a manager of non-power outage operations at the company. "With this tracked vehicle, we can go to places where the wheels might get stuck, especially in corners like field ridges and embankments, and directly enter muddy areas for work, avoiding road closures and long power outages."

Since the beginning of summer, Zhenjiang has conducted more than 30 non-power outage operations, covering scenarios such as switch installation, daily fault correction and equipment repairs. The efforts have ensured the safety of more than 4,000 households' electricity use during high temperatures and reduced power outage time by about 90 percent compared to traditional operations. Next, the company will increase investment in new technologies, continuously expand non-power outage operation scenarios and ensure stable electricity supply during the peak summer period.