Just days after Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced the completion of 1,000 miles of undergrounded powerlines, a recent poll indicates that almost 90% of Californians support the practice of burying power lines as a way to reduce wildfire risk. The survey, conducted by David Binder Research, found that most respondents see undergrounding as more effective than other methods such as installing covered conductors or carrying out planned outages.
The poll also revealed that over 70% believe energy companies should invest more in undergrounding rather than relying on less expensive alternatives. This level of public support comes at a time when state regulators are considering new guidelines that could affect the long-term planning for these projects.
“PG&E prides itself on using multiple layers of protection to keep our communities safe from wildfires, but this data demonstrates that our customers, and customers of all California energy companies, recognize the unique reliability and safety benefits that undergrounding brings to the table,” said Peter Kenny, PG&E’s Senior Vice President of Electric Operations. “Undergrounding eliminates nearly all of the wildfire risk on lines that have been buried, and when done at scale, protects hundreds, if not thousands, of critical facilities like schools, hospitals and fire stations from weather-related outages.”
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is currently reviewing draft guidelines related to Senate Bill 884 passed in 2023. These drafts could present challenges for utilities seeking to implement multi-year undergrounding plans. More than 30 local governments and large energy companies have written letters urging the CPUC to revise these guidelines to allow for greater investment in undergrounding efforts.
The CPUC is expected to vote on these proposed rules during its meeting on November 20.
PG&E serves more than 16 million people across Northern and Central California with both electric and natural gas services. Further details about PG&E’s wildfire mitigation initiatives can be found at pge.com/wildfiresafetyprogess.
For additional information or multimedia content related to this announcement: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/californians-express-overwhelming-support-for-undergrounding-powerlines-to-reduce-wildfire-risk-302620849.html
