Like everything this won’t happen quick but I do see how this is going to help reduce fires.
What’s your guy’s options about burying power?
!!!(Don’t be that guy to get too carried away the Mods lock this up, genuinely curious about your thoughts on this)
Long overdue. The aging infrastructure and location of many of these lines in densely wooded areas with difficult access has been an ongoing issue. I’m curious where the 2 to 4 million dollar a mile price tag comes from. As a person without any knowledge or experience in the utilities world it seems steep. But they’re spending a ton of money on aircraft and maintaining corridors, I’d imagine the long term costs work out in their favor for this project. They’re spending a small fortune on maintaining their current lines, not to mention the lawsuits and fines from fires attributed to them.
Here’s a couple of quick reads that give some context into the process for undergrounding as well as the associated costs:
I feel this is eventually going to be a positive project even though all of us will end up baring the cost. As our state moves forward away from fossil fuels and more dependent on electricity, solar and renewable energy, this power will need to be transported without interruption of services and hopefully and it’s a big hope, the savings of not having to pay for liability for so many fires could be used towards other energy projects, let’s say like burying lines etc. Either way it is a step in the right direction IMHO.
Well, keep in mind that many of the major fires such as the Kincade, the Camp and the Atlas to name a few all started due to transmission line failures. Transmission lines cannot be undergrounded so, personally, I don’t see things changing all that much.
I would not expect PG&E to place, as much as needed, under ground cable in rocky terrain as the cost would be prohibitively expensive. The cost per mile could be 6 or 8 times as expensive as the valley floor. And the mountains are made of!!!
Then you have to think about construction of the conduit. Would they go for a large diameter tunnel they can drive thru for maintenance and separation of the High KV line or opt out on the cheaper drag and drop conduit cluster within the 100’ right of way. you have to think about earth crust displacement on Earthquakes too separating lines too.
If I recall correctly, underground wires cost more for ongoing maintenance also.
Southern California Edison has been replacing non-insulated wires with insulated wire. They are more resistant to shorting out. I would think that PG&E has been doing the same. They are not cure all for the situation but much better than non-insulated. So Ca Edison has had many outside contractors working since the Woolsey fire replacing the lines in fire prone areas.
I agree things need to be done. When a lot of this infrastructure was put in 50’s, 60’s and 70’s labor and materials were a lot cheaper. Between the sewer lines, water lines, gas lines etc. what a trenching nightmare. And good luck if they are marked right or even marked at all. Bottom line, is you pay a maintenance fee every month on your power bill for maintenance!. Where I use to live in Twain Harte, PG&E is replacing a lot of power poles with longer cross arms, new transformers, and insulated service drops. Where I live now near Sonora my utilities are all underground.
With Ca’s burdensome overregulation with their building codes the cost is about right. It’s mind numbing to see the cost of public policy’s impact on everything government regulates. Spending 22 yrs. on a City Council I’ve seen it all in public policy and the building trades.
Just a note of caution, these lines are coated, not insulated. A very important safety difference.
$30,000 a pole or 1,000,000 dollars for a mile of underground
Especially if it’s remote access, consider the equipment needed to get a new pole in the ground, linemen, trucks, and if helicopters are involved, the LZ staging and related-logistics. It adds up quick, and makes the dollars spent trying to prevent fires make more sense. Every pole not burnt is $30k saved.
One thing PGE is doing around auberry, meadow lakes, and SCE at shaver lake is installing fire resistant poles. They did do this around Huntington lake and a few places already but they didn’t survive the Creek fire.
90% of the underground is being done in and around the burn scars. Ie berry creek, Grizzly Flats, paradise, areas with in the dixie… the rest of the fire prone areas will still have evm and routine work being done. Talking to some guys from pge, it’s easier for them to take burnt trees then green trees.
Here is the problem nobody is talking about. The rest of the world uses 230/400 volt power. They set one large transformer at the head of the street almost like a mini substation. Then the 400 volt power runs for some distance to each house.
In the USA we run 240 volts. If you ran it down the street any distance, voltage drop would be excessive. So in California and everywhere you have to have higher voltage get closer to the houses. 12,000 volts generally. This is what can start fires.
It is much more involved and expensive to convert 12,000 volts to underground, than it is to do 400 volts.