Over 150 miles of electrical wires damaged by the Palisade and Eton fires in Malibu and Altadena will be replaced with underground lines, Southern California’s Edison announced Friday. The long-standing project will reduce the future risk of wildfires in devastated communities, officials said.
The company’s plans target areas where wildfire risk is high, with approximately 130 circuit miles of underground distribution lines located in high-risk areas.
“We’re looking forward to seeing you in the future,” said Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International, SCE’s parent company.
The project costs at least $860 million and is expected to take years to complete, but officials said the plan would reduce the risk of wildfires in the area and the need for emergency power closures during extreme weather events.
“SCE builds a resilient and reliable grid for our customers,” said Stephen Powell, CEO of Edison in Southern California.
In Altadena, the underground lines make up about half of the city’s distribution lines, he said.
“That’s pretty important,” Pizzaro said in an interview.
Edison’s plans came after Gov. Gavin Newsom in March suspended the utility’s major environmental laws in order to rebuild the infrastructure that was damaged and destroyed during the fire.
The order eliminated the need for businesses to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act, and encouraged them to build underground equipment wherever possible.
Pizzaro said the order will help Southern California Edison speed up the path to developing an underground line plan and moving forward with work.
“These are pretty much destroyed areas and our hearts are broken for them,” he said.
In a plan sent to Newsom’s office on Friday, Edison’s preliminary draft calls for a total of 153 circuit miles to be installed underground.
At Altadena, approximately 40 circuit miles of power lines are replaced underground. Another 23 circuit miles will be set up in the nearby area.
In Malibu, 90 circuit miles will be built in the city.
Edison is also reviewing an additional 19 miles to the Altadena project.
Overall, the project is expected to cost between $860 million and $925 million.
Some areas can be completed within months, while others can take years. Pizzaro said much of it depends on community rebuilding plans, needs that arise as rebuilding projects progress, and the permitting process.
“We will work closely with state and county leaders, as well as the Altadena and Malibu communities to rebuild an ever-strong wildfire area,” Pizzaro said.
The plan is a key project for Edison, who had already requested approval for the project to place approximately 600 miles underground by 2028.
Currently, the company has approximately 17,000 miles of distribution circuitry in high temperature risk areas, of which approximately 7,000 miles are located underground.
The plan will be drafted after more than 50 meetings with community members and includes upgrades to the grid design in anticipation of increased demand.
“There’s a lot of interest in the community in doing underground,” Pizzaro said.
Lines not located underground will harden and be covered with insulation.
The cost of the plan could be nearly $1 billion, but officials said SCE is working with local, state and federal officials to find ways to fund the project.
“This is a lot of cost for our customers, so we’re looking at either federal, state or charity options to reduce costs,” Pizzaro said.
The company is also looking for ways to fund other direct costs for its customers, he said. For example, connecting a home to a grid could cost individual customers between $8,000 and $10,000, he said.
“We really want to find a way to avoid this being a cost that these communities have to take up,” he said.
Some of these costs could be diverted through grants and other projects with state or local officials, he said.
The current plan only includes distribution lines, which are electrical wires that carry electricity from the grid to homes and businesses. Transmission lines that carry large amounts of electricity throughout the region are not included in the plan.
Speculation about Eton Fire focused on the area near the three transmission towers of Eton Canyon, Pizzaro said the risk that electrical equipment will cause wildfires is higher for distribution equipment.
The company investigated the possibility of power lines being placed underground, but said it was not so feasible to do so due to factors such as the amount of electricity in the line. Rough and steep terrain. Higher cost.
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