PG&E to Move 10,000 Miles of Power Lines Underground in Wildfire-Prone Areas

PG&E to Move 10,000 Miles of Power Lines Underground in Wildfire-Prone Areas

PG&E to Move, 10,000 Miles of Power Lines, Underground in Wildfire-Prone Areas.

PG&E's intent is to prevent its electrical grid from sparking additional wildfires.

PG&E's intent is to prevent its electrical grid from sparking additional wildfires.

The utility company is currently under investigation for igniting the Dixie Fire, which has so far burned through 86,000 acres in California.

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The project, announced on July 22, will focus on distribution lines in wildfire-prone locations of PG&E’s service area.

The estimated cost to complete the entire undergrounding process is between $15 billion and $30 billion.

PG&E previously resisted plans to bury power lines because of an estimated cost of $3 million per mile.

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But newly-hired PG&E CEO Patricia Poppe has decided to focus on the value of human lives.

It's too expensive not to do it.

Lives are on the line, Patricia Poppe, via statement.

The current process used to bury power lines is slow, with PG&E saying the most its completed in a single day is 1,250 feet.

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PG&E chief operating officer Adam Wright says they expect to eventually be able to bury more than 1,000 miles of power lines a year.