PG&E plans to underground at least 175 miles of electric distribution powerlines in 2022 and 400 additional such miles in 2023 in 21 counties across its service area.
The miles represent the first major tranche of projects in PG&E’s program to underground 10,000 miles of electric distribution powerlines, including a target of about 3,600 miles from 2022 to 2026.
Of the 2022-23 miles currently designed, submitted for permitting or under construction, the Bay Area is home to roughly 43 miles of lines to be undergrounded across Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma counties.
Miles designed, in permitting or under construction in the Bay Area include:
- 1.5 miles in Alameda County
- 8.5 miles in Contra Costa County
- 2.9 miles in Marin County
- 6.1 miles in Napa County
- 9.6 miles in San Mateo County
- 7.5 miles in Solano County
- 7.1 miles in Sonoma County
Undergrounding in local communities can cut the risk of ignitions along undergrounded circuits by 99 percent; reduce annual spending on temporary repairs and other recurring costs such as vegetation management; and curb the need for wildfire safety-related outages.
“Targeted undergrounding in High Fire-Threat Districts will make our system safer and more resilient to better serve customers and respond to the state’s evolving climate challenges,” said PG&E Vice President of Undergrounding Jamie Martin. “All of our customers will benefit from improvements to air and water quality with fewer ignitions, as well as lower overall maintenance and operating costs over time.”
PG&E is emphasizing undergrounding in areas where it can have the greatest effect on reducing wildfire risk and Public Safety Power Shutoffs for our customers.
We are also focusing on critical facilities, such as hospitals, and looking at factors including terrain, accessibility, constructability, vegetation, existing infrastructure (such as the number of services and transformers) and climate challenges.
When possible, we prioritize efforts to address multiple needs, and will continue to deliver the highest level of safety for our customers.
PG&E forecasts an average cost of $3.75 million per mile to underground distribution lines in 2022 and is acting to reduce that cost over the coming years, to $2.5 million per mile in 2026.
Our plan to underground 10,000 miles of distribution powerlines in and near areas at high wildfire risk represents the bold, innovative action that is required to meet California’s climate challenges. It’s also the largest effort in the United States to underground powerlines as a wildfire risk-reduction measure.
Price per mile sounds pretty high.
If you send me your address, I’ll bring you a shovel.
Something that’s missing from this announcement is that the undergrounding currently in progress in Walnut Creek’s Lime Ridge open space is the first project being worked on.
I suspect it was picked to be the first as it’s close to homes, access to the site is fairly easy, and the city of Walnut Creek may have been fast at giving the okay for the work to be done on their land.
…. that is a very flammable type area where they starting the undergrounding
$3.75 million per mile to underground distribution lines
Not mentioned are voltage on lines to be undergrounded, that is major factor in costs per mile.
Above ground is easily repaired in hours, undergrounded line repair time can be measured in WEEKS.
https://tinyurl.com/ye298cyy
I can’t trust PG&E.
They are in business to make money.
Business 101….
Every business is in business to make money.
@Glen, but not every utility is a “business”, e.g., EBMUD
“They are in business to make money.” What an insightful observation. Ha! Safe to say their primary objective is to generate and distribute electrical power and natural gas to millions of California homes and businesses. With any luck, in so doing, their expenses will not exceed their revenues. Countless shareholders in this publicly-held company are watching.
Gavin could easily put into law any new construction of a home or sale of a home above $1,000,000 must have solar panels and a solar battery to be energy self sufficient off the grid at a price of $30,000.
I would rather be paying roughly $150-$200 a month for self sufficient energy then putting it into an inadequate investor driven energy model.