More than 150 miles of electrical power lines damaged by the Palisades and Eaton fires in Malibu and Altadena are slated to be replaced with underground lines, Southern California Edison announced Friday. The years-long project would reduce the future risk of wildfire in the devastated communities, officials said.
The company’s plan would target areas at higher risk of wildfires, with about 130 circuit miles of underground distribution lines being placed in high-fire-risk areas.
“SCE’s initial rebuilding plan will underground electrical distribution infrastructure where practical and make the most of breakthrough technologies to reduce wildfire risk,” said Pedro Pizarro, CEO of Edison International, SCE’s parent company.
The project is expected to cost at least $860 million and could take years to complete, but officials said the plan would reduce the risk of wildfires in the area as well as the need for emergency power shutdowns during extreme weather events.
“SCE will build back a resilient, reliable grid for our customers,” said Southern California Edison CEO Steven Powell.
In Altadena, the underground lines would account for about half of the city’s distribution lines, he said.
“It’s pretty significant,” Pizarro said in an interview.
Edison’s plan comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom in March suspended key environmental laws for utility companies to rebuild infrastructure that was damaged and destroyed during the fires.
The order eliminated the need for companies to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act, and it encouraged utilities to build underground equipment where possible.
Pizarro said the order helped Southern California Edison develop the plan for the underground lines, speeding the pathway to get the work underway.
“Those are areas that have been pretty significantly destroyed, and our hearts are broken for them,” he said.
In a plan sent to Newsom’s office Friday, Edison’s preliminary draft calls for a total of 153 circuit miles to be installed underground.
In Altadena, about 40 circuit miles of power line would be replaced underground in neighborhoods that have been determined to be high-fire-risk areas. Another 23 circuit miles would be installed in neighboring areas.
In Malibu, 90 circuit miles would be constructed in the city.
Edison also is reviewing adding another 19 miles to the project in Altadena.
In all, the project is expected to cost somewhere between $860 million and $925 million.
Some of the areas could be completed within months, but others could take years. Pizarro said much of it depends on the community’s rebuilding plans, the needs that arise as reconstruction projects get underway, and the permitting process.
“We’re working closely with state and county leaders and the communities of Altadena and Malibu to rebuild wildfire-impacted area stronger than ever,” Pizarro said.
The plan is a significant project to Edison, which was already requesting approval for projects to place about 600 miles of lines underground by 2028.
Currently, the company has about 17,000 miles of distribution circuits in high fire risk areas, and about 7,000 miles of those are underground.
The plan was drafted after more than 50 meetings with community members, and will include upgrades to the grid design in anticipation of increasing demand.
“There’s a lot of interest in the community to do underground lines,” Pizarro said.
Lines that are not placed underground will be hardened and covered with insulation.
Although the cost of the plan could near a billion dollars, officials said SCE was looking to work with local, state and federal officials to find ways to fund the project so that it doesn’t translate to increased rates.
“This is a lot of cost to the customer, so we’re looking at either federal, state or philanthropic options to lower the cost,” Pizarro said.
The company also is looking for ways to fund other direct costs for customers, he said. For example, connecting homes to the grid can cost the individual customer $8,000 to $10,000, he said.
“We really want to find a way to avoid that being a cost that these communities have to pick up,” he said.
Some of those costs might be diverted through grants and other projects with state or local officials, he said.
The current plan would only include distribution lines, which are the electrical wires that carry electricity from the grid into homes and businesses. Transmission lines, which carry a larger amount of electricity through regions, are not included in the plan.
Although speculation about what sparked the Eaton fire has centered on the area near three transmission towers in Eaton Canyon, Pizarro said the risk of electrical equipment sparking a wildfire is higher with distribution equipment.
The company has explored the possibility of placing transmission lines underground but said doing so is less feasible because of factors such as the amount of electricity of the lines; rougher, steeper terrain; and higher costs.
