Major Undergrounding by PG&E to Mitigate Wildfire Risk
Piedmonters have long advocated undergrounding of wires as a primary interest to improve community appearance and energy reliability. Now they wonder if this major non-urban undergrounding project will delay urban projects.
Multiple Year Undergrounding 10,000 Miles of PG&E Power Lines in Highest Fire-Threat Area .
Undergrounding also reduces Public Safety Power Shutoffs during dry, windy conditions and requires less vegetation management.
CHICO, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced a major new initiative to expand the undergrounding of electric distribution power lines in High Fire Threat Districts (HFTD) to further harden its system and help prevent wildfires. The new infrastructure safety initiative, announced today in Butte County by PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe, is a multi-year effort to underground approximately 10,000 miles of power lines.
PG&E’s commitment represents the largest effort in the U.S. to underground power lines as a wildfire risk reduction measure. PG&E July 21, 2021
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.
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