PG&E to underground power lines in fire-threat areas
USA, San Francisco: Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has announced an initiative to expand the undergrounding of power lines in high fire-threat districts.
Image source: T&D World
USA, San Francisco: Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has announced an initiative to expand the undergrounding of power lines in high fire-threat districts.
The goal is to further harden its system and help prevent wildfires.
The new infrastructure safety initiative, announced in Butte County by PG&E Corp. CEO Patti Poppe, is a multi-year effort to underground approximately 16,000 km (10,000 mi) of power lines. It represents the largest effort in the USA to underground power lines as a wildfire risk reduction measure.
“We want what all of our customers want: a safe and resilient energy system. We have taken a stand that catastrophic wildfires shall stop. We will partner with the best and the brightest to bring that stand to life. We will demand excellence of ourselves. We will gladly partner with policymakers and state and local leaders to map a path we can all believe in,” Poppe said.
In addition to significantly reducing wildfire risk, undergrounding also benefits customers by lessening the need for public safety power shutoffs, which are called as a last resort during dry, windy conditions to reduce the risk of vegetation contacting live power lines and sparking a wildfire. Undergrounding also eases the need for vegetation management efforts, leaving more of California’s trees untouched.
Today, the PG&E maintains more than 40,000 km (25,000 mi) of overhead distribution power lines in the highest fire-threat areas — which is more than 30 % of its total distribution overhead system.
The exact number of projects or kilometres undergrounded each year through the PG&E’s new expanded undergrounding program will evolve as the company performs further project scoping and inspections, estimating and engineering review.
Source: T&D World
#Pacific Gas and Electric Co.#power lines undergrounding#USA#wildfire risk reduction