As California continues to see wildfires ravage communities, utility companies, including PG&E, are investing millions of dollars in wildfire mitigation efforts. PG&E is making strides in removing overhead powerlines to keep communities safe, while also focusing on reduced costs and increased reliability. Underground powerlines are now being installed in high wildfire-risk areas, which the company said is to reduce wildfire ignitions by 98%.
Underground powerlines are said to benefit high fire-risk areas of 27 counties in Northern and Central California. Officials said the powerlines range from around 337 miles in Butte County and 119 miles in Shasta County to more than 50 miles of buried powerlines in each of El Dorado, Lake, Placer, Plumas and Solano counties.
By the end of 2026, PG&E anticipates a total of 1,600 miles of powerlines will be underground, reducing risks by 18% across the entire system. Matt Pender, PG&E’s vice president of Undergrounding and System Hardening, told FOX40 that after undergrounding, crews will install a plastic pipe called a conduit.
