The plans reduce the number of power lines that PG&E could bury by at least half. The Public Utilities Commission is considering two other plans that would include both burying power lines and using protective coverings. They are going to make a lot of money burying these lines,” said Ken Cook, president of Environmental Working Group and a PG&E customer. “I really find it hard to believe anything they say about their commitment to safety. Their plan, which includes projects in addition to burying power lines, would raise customer rates an average of nearly 18%, or $38.73 per month. We’ve now changed and we’re asking people to catch up with us.” Plan Would Raise Average Rates by Nearly 18%Ĭritics scoff, noting that PG&E’s plan would boost profits for a company that pleaded guilty to 84 counts of manslaughter in connection with the 2018 wildfire that mostly destroyed the town of Paradise. Everyone says PG&E should have invested in the infrastructure,” Poppe told The Associated Press. Everyone says we should have seen these wildfire conditions. “One of the big criticisms about PG&E is we did not adapt to changing conditions. ![]() That fire was started by lightning, not PG&E’s power lines, but it is a reminder of the lasting damage that wildfires can cause. Behind them, charred trees stood sentry on brown hills, evidence of the 2020 LNU Complex Fire that destroyed nearly 1,500 structures and killed six people. Poppe donned a hard hat and protective glasses to watch workers pour a concrete mixture into a freshly dug trench along a rural, two-lane road. Poppe was there to celebrate the company meeting its goal of burying at least 350 miles of power lines this year, a milestone she says is proof the company can meet its ambitious targets. On a recent afternoon, Poppe - PG&E’s CEO since 2021 - visited a construction site between Sacramento and San Francisco where crews were burying a stretch of overhead power lines. In the past year, seven of the top 12 insurance companies doing business in California have either paused or restricted new business in the state, citing wildfire risk. The issue can have repercussions beyond the price of electricity. San Diego Gas & Electric has buried 145 miles of power lines since 2020 and plans to do another 1,500 miles by 2031. Southern California Edison, the utility that covers much of central and Southern California, says it plans to bury 600 miles of power lines by 2028. In Florida, where hurricanes are more of a threat than wildfires, about 45% of Florida Power and Light’s distribution system is underground, according to the company’s website.Ĭalifornia’s other big investor-owned utilities have also been putting power lines underground. But more utilities have been burying power lines in response to bigger and more destructive natural disasters. Most of the nation’s power lines are above ground because its cheaper to do it that way. The case is being closely watched, not just in California but throughout the country as more utilities weigh the risks versus the cost of burying power lines. It’s plan to bury 2,000 miles of power lines is part of a broader goal of putting 10,000 miles underground over the next decade. ![]() What PG&E wants to do is unprecedented in both scale and speed. PG&E will make it’s case in person before the commission on Wednesday. Gavin Newsom, is scheduled to decide the issue next month. The California Public Utilities Commission, whose members are appointed by Gov. The company filed its plan with state regulators last year. PG&E, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 after it faced more than $30 billion in damages for wildfires started by its equipment, is trying to convince regulators that its burying plan is better. “Who wants to get on a plane that has a 35% chance of crashing?” “We’re not going to live with 35% risk,” said PG&E CEO Patti Poppe, who was rounding down in her assessment. The protective cover, which would better insulate the power line should it fall to the ground, would reduce that chance by 62%. PG&E says burying a power line reduces the chance it will start a wildfire by 99% because it can’t be blown down by wind storms. ![]() The cover approach is cheaper, but riskier. Regulators want PG&E to put a protective cover over many of its overhead power lines instead of burying them.
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