Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

California is beginning to bury its power lines to prevent wildfire

The utility long resisted calls to bury its power lines as being too costly. But after its equipment sparked wildfires in Northern California the past few years, the utility reversed course.

Tyler Owens, left, directs track hoe operator Alan King, both with the Underground Electric Construction Company, as they work to dig two lines of 6-inch conduit to the correct depth at the Lime Ridge Open Space in Walnut Creek, California, on Thursday, May 19, 2022. The conduit will carry Pacific Gas and Electric power lines underground and replace the existing above-ground lines to reduce the risk of wildfire ignitions. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group/TNS)
Tyler Owens, left, directs track hoe operator Alan King, both with the Underground Electric Construction Company, as they work to dig two lines of 6-inch conduit to the correct depth at the Lime Ridge Open Space in Walnut Creek, California, on Thursday, May 19, 2022. The conduit will carry Pacific Gas and Electric power lines underground and replace the existing above-ground lines to reduce the risk of wildfire ignitions. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group/TNS)Read moreAnda Chu / MCT