PG&E completes 1,000 miles of undergrounding in wildfire-prone Calif. regions
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has completed 1,000 miles of underground powerlines in high fire–risk areas of Northern and Central California. The milestone is part of the utility’s ongoing effort to reduce wildfire ignition risk, which also includes stronger overhead poles, covered wires, and vegetation management.
Since 2023, PG&E estimates that its system-hardening measures have cut wildfire ignition risk across its grid by 8.4%. Undergrounding projects are now serving customers in 27 counties, with the largest concentrations in Butte and Shasta counties. By 2026, the company expects to reach 1,600 miles of buried powerlines, which it says would reduce overall system wildfire risk by 18%.
PG&E reports that the cost of undergrounding has fallen from $4 million per mile in 2021 to $3.1 million in 2025, with further reductions anticipated through new equipment, local contractor hiring, and more efficient construction methods.
The company has also installed more than 1,400 miles of strengthened poles and covered conductors, and continues to monitor wildfire conditions using a network of weather stations and HD cameras. Federal and state regulators have identified undergrounding as a key component of long-term wildfire mitigation in California’s high-risk zones.
Related News
From Archive
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized
- Alaska LNG pipeline could require 7,000 workers at peak construction, developers say
- Ohio trench collapse kills one worker, injures two during pipe installation
- Elon Musk's Boring Co. fined for dumping drilling waste into Vegas sewer system
- $1.4 billion Midwest pipeline expansion to move more Canadian oil to U.S. Gulf
- Glenfarne Alaska LNG targets late-2026 construction start for 807-mile pipeline project
- Fatal trench collapse halts sewer construction in Massachusetts; two workers hospitalized
- Massive water line failure leaves majority of Waterbury without service
- Infrastructure failure releases 100,000 gallons of wastewater in Houston; repairs ongoing
- Pennsylvania American Water launches interactive map to identify, replace lead water service lines
Comments