A helicopter has hit an electricity pylon in Aberdeenshire, leaving more than 1000 homes without power on Saturday.
The incident occurred during a survey for minerals in Aberdeenshire undertaken by Aberdeen Minerals Limited (AML).
The private company hired international specialist SkyTEM Surveys to conduct the survey, which looks for commercially exploitable deposits of base minerals such as copper, nickel, and cobalt.
The electromagnetic loop, which is suspended below the helicopter during the survey, struck a pylon near the Aberdeenshire town of Balmedie causing a power cut to 1004 houses in the area.
A spokesperson for SSE said: "We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank our customers for their patience as our engineers worked to restore power as quickly as possible."
All affected homes had their power restored by 3 o'clock on Saturday afternoon.
A spokesperson for AML said: "Aberdeen Minerals Limited is aware of an incident near Balmedie that has led to a power outage.
"Reports that this was a result of the geophysical array colliding with a power line are being investigated by the company and its contractors.
"We can confirm that the helicopter is safely on the ground. Flight operations have been suspended, pending liaison with the relevant authorities."
Mineral hunt
Aberdeen Minerals is looking for potentially commercial deposits of base metals in rural Aberdeenshire.
The land around Ellon, Balmedie, New Deer, Methlick and Maud is being targeted in the search for the likes of nickel, copper and cobalt. Other locations include Pitmedden, Oldmeldrum, Tarves and a swathe of land north-west of Huntly.
Many geologists believe the north-east is rich in mineral resources, including metals that will be in high demand by battery-makers amid growing demand for electric vehicles and other low-carbon technologies.
Drew Craig, the former oil and gas industry worker from Aberdeen spearheading the survey programme as general manager for AML said: “Momentum around the energy transition is clearly building in the north-east, and the timing of this survey and our plans for assessing the potential for critical raw materials couldn’t be better.
“We’re watching with keen interest for news on the green freeport bid and are monitoring a range of other initiatives being driven by Invest Aberdeen and the Scottish Government.
“It’s great to see, but we do feel that the discussion around the transition needs to more closely address the matter of the sources of the raw materials required for sustainable, long-term developments.”