PULASKI, Va. — Appalachian Power has acquired two trailer-mounted hydraulic rock-digging drills, specialized machines engineered to break and remove hard rock during pole installations and trenching. Designed to handle the region’s mountainous terrain, these units will help line crews complete reliability upgrades and outage restorations faster and with fewer delays, improving service for customers across the system.

The drills can access and remove underground rock that previously required slower, more labor-intensive methods or outside contractors. This capability shortens site preparation and pole installation, allowing line crews to restore service faster after storms and complete routine infrastructure upgrades more efficiently.

The new equipment also enhances crew safety by reducing manual handling and limiting the need for workers to operate near unstable rock faces. They reduce reliance on multiple pieces of equipment at a site, which can cut work times in some situations from hours to minutes.

“You’re looking at a day or two to get a hole down [in solid rock] by drilling and chipping,” said Glenn Edwards, APCo's manager of distribution system for the Christiansburg district. “This will do a hole in 30 minutes, so customers can expect faster restoration work when rock excavation is a factor.”

“A lot of our areas have a lot of rock,” Edwards said. “Sometimes you can dig around and look for a soft spot for an auger to go into the ground. Sometimes you can’t. Sometimes there’s only one place that pole can go.”

The additional equipment is part of Appalachian Power’s ongoing investment in reliability and grid enhancement. APCo currently operates one similar rock digger in West Virginia, and the two newly acquired units will primarily serve the company’s Virginia territory. About 30 lineworkers were trained to use the new equipment, which officials said will be put into service immediately.