PG&E to underground electric lines

PG&E on Wednesday announced a wide-ranging plan to place thousands of miles of electric lines underground in a quest to reduce the likelihood of destructive and deadly wildfires in Northern and Central California.

The utility made the announcement even while the Dixie Fire continued to roar through Butte County, a blaze that might have been caused by PG&E’S electricity equipment touching a tree more than a week ago.

The Dixie Fire as of early Wednesday afternoon had scorched 85,500 acres in rugged terrain, according to a post on the Cal Fire website. The fire was 15% contained.

“We want what all of our customers want, a safe and resilient energy system,” PG&E Chief Executive Officer Patti Poppe said Wednesday. “We have taken a stand that catastrophic wildfires shall stop.”

PG&E is reeling from several years of wildfires that capped off a decade of disasters that coalesced into a financial burden that eventually shoved the embattled utility into bankruptcy.

The costs could be significant, PG&E executives conceded, when asked about the expense of putting 10,000 miles of electric lines underground.

“We see a potential range of $15 billion to $20 billion as a starting point,” Poppe said in response to a question during a news briefing.

Eventually, utility ratepayers are likely to foot the bill for these massive upgrades, the company said when asked whether PG&E would be seeking approval from the state Public Utilities Commission for more revenue from customers.

“That’s right,” Poppe said when asked whether monthly bills might have to rise.