Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has completed the construction and activation of 1,000 miles of underground powerlines in high fire-risk areas across Northern and Central California. The company describes this as the largest undergrounding effort by a utility aimed at reducing wildfire risk. According to PG&E, placing these lines underground eliminates almost all wildfire risk in the areas served.
PG&E reports that since 2023, its system hardening measures—which include undergrounding, strengthening overhead infrastructure, and removing certain lines—have led to a permanent reduction of 8.4% in wildfire ignition risk throughout its network. The utility’s undergrounded lines now serve customers in 27 counties, including significant installations in Butte County (337 miles), Shasta County (119 miles), and over 50 miles each in El Dorado, Lake, Placer, Plumas, and Solano counties.
Peter Kenny, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations, said: “Putting 1,000 miles of powerlines underground is a significant milestone for our customers as we work to reduce wildfire risk every day. When our CEO, Patti Poppe, announced in 2021 that we would put thousands of miles of powerlines underground, skeptics said it couldn’t be done. Well, not only are we at 1,000 miles and counting, but we also have substantially reduced the cost for our customers as we’ve scaled up our work.”
The company aims to have a total of 1,600 miles of underground powerlines by the end of 2026. This expansion is projected to result in an overall wildfire risk reduction of 18% across PG&E’s service area.
Since launching the program, PG&E has lowered the average cost per mile for undergrounding from $4 million at inception to $3.1 million by 2025. The company anticipates further reductions as efficiencies improve.
Matt Pender, vice president of Undergrounding and System Hardening at PG&E, commented: “It feels amazing to be making a difference that will last for many, many years, for decades, by putting these lines underground and reducing wildfire risk for the long run.”
PG&E employs several layers of protection to prevent wildfires and states these safety measures prevented major fires linked to its equipment in both 2023 and 2024. These actions follow increasing fire risks across the western United States.
A report from Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment recognized PG&E among top utilities nationwide for wildfire readiness. The same assessment rated PG&E’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan with Tier 1 maturity—the highest level available.
Further details about PG&E’s wildfire safety efforts can be found at pge.com/wildfiresafetyprogess.
PG&E provides natural gas and electric services to more than 16 million people over a service area covering approximately 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. More information is available at pge.com or via their news site.
Original content can be viewed at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thousands-of-pge-customers-now-protected-from-wildfires-as-1-000-miles-of-powerlines-are-energized-and-underground-302574997.html
