Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced a major new initiative to expand the undergrounding of electric distribution power lines in High Fire Threat Districts (HFTD).
The new infrastructure safety initiative, announced in Butte County by PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe, is a multi-year effort to underground approximately 10,000 miles of power lines.
In addition to significantly reducing wildfire risk, undergrounding also benefits customers by lessening the need for Public Safety Power Shutoffs, which are called as a last resort during dry, windy conditions to reduce the risk of vegetation contacting live power lines and sparking a wildfire. Undergrounding also eases the need for vegetation management efforts, leaving more of California’s trees untouched.
Today, PG&E maintains more than 25,000 miles of overhead distribution power lines in the highest fire-threat areas (Tier 2, Tier 3 and Zone 1)—which is more than 30% of its total distribution overhead system.
10,000 miles of PG&E lines represents approximately the distance of 11 round trips from Chico to Los Angeles or almost half way around the world. The exact number of projects or miles undergrounded each year through PG&E’s new expanded undergrounding program will evolve as PG&E performs further project scoping and inspections, estimating and engineering review.
30 comments
About time.
How much are you willing to pay for electricity?
It’s not the question of who’s going to pay for undergrounding – obviously, the ratepayers. It’s the question of whether your electric bill will double or triple.
PG&E was already asking for $3.6 billion in rate increases over the next 2 years, i. e. an average monthly bill will go up 20% in 2 years. And then another 20% in 2 years after that. That was for undergrounding ~150 miles/year.
Now they want to do 1,000 miles/year. Do the math.
If I’m forced to pay for this $hit anyway, I’d rather not give another dime to PG&E, but pay to move people away from the places that can burn easily and can’t be evacuated quickly.
And if they don’t want to move – tough luck, after the next fire you’re on your own. Regardless of whether it was started by PG&E equipment or lightning or sun reflected from dog’s water bowl.
Underground utilities are vulnerable to floods. Maybe not an issue in Butte County, but it was in Houston.
How much is that going to cost, and who is going to pay for it? Asking for everyone else, because I am no longer a customer of PG&E.
PG&E website indicates cost at $3,000,000 per mile to bury lines=3e10 on calculator…thirty thousand million?
Power poles are outdated. All utilities should go underground.
Above ground they are ugly & dangerous.
Besides that, everytime some jackass gets drunk and plows into one, all the power goes out for hours!
The reason those 25,000 mi of overhead transmission lines are overhead and not put underground in the first place it wasn’t feasible then just like it’s not feasible now what kind of BS are they pedaling to people.
What a crock of crap who’s gonna pay for this?
Don’t understand why PG&E can’t just repair the insulators of the overhead lines and prevent them from dropping. Undergrounding will create huge swaths of deforestation in the easements for miles. Besides, who do you think is going to pay for this undergrounding anyway?
We’ll, it’s a start. Going take about fifty years at an astronomical cost. But it’s a start.
1) How long will it take to produce an EIR (environmental impact report)?
2) How long for the EIR to be approved (think environmental group opposition)?
3) How will the lines be ‘undergrounded’, and how will they be inspected afterward?
4) Will these undergrounded utilities face damage in an earthquake? What risks will be associated with that?
5) What will the time/cost be per mile?
6) Would it be better for our environment to return to using natural gas, and maybe some of the new nuclear plant technology?
Ahh the environmental groups. You mean those responsible for the current state of our forest and our yearly infernos! The environmental groups need to be underground!
Believe Tesla (the man) proved electricity could be wirelessly transmitted…may have caused a few explosions or fires…but with a little more research…
I would be curious of the negative health affects associated with something like that.
PG&E customers will pay for it.
Also the largest fire in the west burning right now is the Bootleg fire which was caused by lighting so how much will this accomplish?
We need more controlled burns and a overhaul of forestry management.
About time they started working on sh…t
In past persons have suggested putting transmission lines underground, that idea was discounted citing high cost. And I was one of those saying it would be cost prohibitive, then 90 plus people end up dead, lawsuits etc.
Good example of how variables can change a cost benefit analysis.
Price of undergrounding will vary by operating voltage of lines being buried.
Now defunct Caribou-Palermo transmission line associated with Camp Fire that wiped out Paradise, CA had operating voltage of 115kV or 115,000 volts AC.
For high voltage transmission lines am guessing cost to underground will run between 5.5 and 6 million dollars per mile. Will be interesting to see methods used to underground lines in areas of rivers, solid rock, canyons and mountainous topography.
STOP ! Please ! ! read this article an in depth piece on 2018 Camp Fire.
abc10 https://tinyurl.com/htxcdz8t
Insulated high voltage cable is more expensive than typical insulated wire but it works well. As for areas where transmission lines will need to be exposed, I would imagine they will protect it with rigid conduit. This project will provide work for hundreds, if not thousands of heavy equipment operators and IBEW members.
Also what about the other cables on the pole, TV, Internet, telephone? They don’t cause fire but are those going to go underground too? Or will we still have poles? This is going to cost more than anyone is ready to admit.
finally!
welcome to 2021!
This is by far the stupidest idea they have come up with yet..
As a former PG&E management employee who got out when it started getting PC, woke and weird; it’s all been going down hill for a formerly well managed, hard working company. This Patti Pupe CEO is just like all their leaders of the past 20 years. She doesn’t know the difference between a Line Truck and a Closeline.
@Red – but just “feel the love…”
“Love” does not dig trenches or correct decades of mismanagement. Until they get someone into senior management that understands PG&E’s unique geography, it’ll continue until the company declares bankruptcy a third and final time.
Would be interesting to go to their next shareholders meeting…..
Here, here! The ‘woke’ utility….shoving CRT down its employees throats and “leading with love”.
Dig here, not THERE! Like a unleaded gas line running along Walnut Creek, what could possibly go wrong?
We have Wifi in our homes.
When are we going to get electricity through the air?
Right now, it is ridiculous: PG&E starting fires.
Call it an “underground electric pipeline” and it will never happen.
Think rates are high now?
You ain’t seen nuthin yet.
Put little nuclear power plants where the demand is. Maybe one in everybody’s garage, about the size of a refrigerator…
dream big…
Cost doesn’t seem to be bothering them.
What is life expectancy of cables being used.
When there is a fault condition in an underground high voltage line what will repair times be, hours (not likely), (days) perhaps, (weeks) most likely.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5WvDpjqXuo
Yeah this will happen in an efficient and timely manner from the POS that PG&E is because their so on top of their GAME because that’s what it is!! The fires in Paradise area were caused by PG&E’s infrastructure that dated to 1921 not a joke!! 19F_ckin21 research it! You think you can’t afford your utility bill now!!!! Wait til these F_ckin murderers and they are exactly that by their blatant neglect! apply the cost of this project to your utility bill!
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