The article reviews the methods for improving the technology of monitoring and inspection of the state of power grids. The state of development in the design and methods of using unmanned aerial vehicles, which are intended for servicing power lines, is analyzed. A number of issues related to the concept of unmanned aerial vehicles with high lifting capacity are considered, which allows them to be used for various means of maintenance of power lines, which in turn reduces capital costs. Unmanned aerial vehicles are increasingly being used by utilities, which reduces the risks and costs of maintenance compared to other transmission line monitoring systems. It was determined that in the field of electric power industry the most promising of the methods for monitoring power lines is the application of unmanned aerial vehicles together with the use of modern measuring equipment and digital technologies. It is concluded that a significant advantage of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles is their possibility, which reduces costs and increases the efficiency of their use as a means of determining promising locations for wind farms. It is noted that with the transition of the global electricity industry to the use of unmanned aerial vehicles will save resources and reduce costs. Moreover, it is determined that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles with high lifting capacity allows minimizing the cost of using additional lifting equipment and technical personnel. In particular, high-lift unmanned aerial vehicles using flamethrowers can effectively remove obstacles such as clogging on power lines. It is noted that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles will increase the safety of employees in the maintenance of power facilities and power lines. The obtained results from the analysis of the technical condition of the use of unmanned aerial vehicles indicate the prospects for the introduction of remote control systems and monitoring of the operational condition of power lines.