PG&E Hits Significant Milestone: In a Single Year, the Most Powerlines Have Been Put Underground and Energized, Serving and Protecting Customers

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Nov 01, 2023, 14:30 ET

Ambitious Program Ramps Up and Proves It Can Scale Up to Reach Its Goals

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today that it has successfully completed the construction and energization of the most underground powerlines in its history, a key milestone in preventing wildfires and protecting customers.

As of Oct. 30, 197 miles of powerlines have been undergrounded and energized so far in 2023. That tops the 180 miles of undergrounded in 2022 and the 73 miles in 2021, the year that PG&E's 10,000-mile Undergrounding Program was launched.

The end-of-the-year target for 2023 is 350 miles.

Undergrounding essentially eliminates nearly 98% of the risk of wildfire ignition from electrical equipment for about $3.40 per month per customer from 2023-2026

Last month, the utility said 350 miles of digging trenches and installing conduit, the piping that securely holds the electric lines in place when underground, had been completed. That's the most time- and labor-intensive portion of underground construction.

After that civil construction work is completed, electric crews arrive to pull powerlines through the conduit, make the necessary electrical connections, de-energize the overhead lines and energize the underground lines. Final steps include removing the overhead lines and poles in some cases and then completing paving and other work to leave the location in as good or better than it was before the construction.

'Look at the results'

On average, about 20 more miles of undergrounded line will be energized each week through the end of the year. PG&E customers in Placerville (El Dorado County), Murphys (Calaveras County), Elk Creek (Glenn County) and Potter Valley (Mendocino County) are among those now being served and protected by underground powerlines.

"For those who questioned PG&E's capability to scale up our Undergrounding Program, our answer is simple – look at the results," said Peter Kenny, PG&E's Senior Vice President of Major Infrastructure Delivery, which includes undergrounding. "By the end of this year, we'll have safely installed over 600 miles of powerlines underground since the program launched in 2021. This demonstrates we can successfully perform this important work while doing it at a lower cost year over year."

Undergrounding is cheaper for customers in the long run

Investing in undergrounding in the highest fire-risk areas benefits all PG&E customers in a number of ways -- from improved air and water quality resulting from fewer fires; protection of wildlands; and over the long run, improved access to homeowners' insurance coverage at lower premiums.

Expanding PG&E's electric system underground in High Fire-Risk Areas (HFRAs) will not only help reduce wildfires caused by utility equipment, but also will improve reliability and reduce the need for safety-related power outages. Undergrounding reduces the need for tree work and overhead powerline maintenance, resulting in customers' savings.

Go to www.pge.com/undergrounding to see PG&E's progress and learn more about this crucial safety program.

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About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit pge.com and pge.com/news.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company