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.

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