PG&E to Move 10,000 Miles of Power Lines Underground in Wildfire-Prone Areas

PG&E to Move, 10,000 Miles
of Power Lines, Underground in
Wildfire-Prone Areas.
PG&E's intent is to prevent its electrical
grid from sparking additional wildfires.
PG&E's intent is to prevent its electrical
grid from sparking additional wildfires.
The utility company is currently under investigation for
igniting the Dixie Fire, which has so far burned
through 86,000 acres in California. .
The project, announced
on July 22, will focus
on distribution lines in
wildfire-prone locations
of PG&E’s service area.
The estimated cost to complete the entire undergrounding process is between $15 billion and $30 billion.
PG&E previously resisted plans
to bury power lines because of an
estimated cost of $3 million per mile. .
But newly-hired PG&E CEO Patricia Poppe
has decided to focus on the value of human lives.
It's too expensive not to
do it. Lives are on the line, Patricia Poppe, via statement.
The current process used to bury
power lines is slow, with PG&E saying the
most its completed in a single day is 1,250 feet. .
PG&E chief operating officer Adam Wright
says they expect to eventually be able to bury
more than 1,000 miles of power lines a year.