PG&E CEO Patti Poppe Provides Update on ‘Game-Changing’ Undergrounding Plan

By Jennifer Robison

In a conference call today (Feb. 10) to discuss the company’s quarterly and annual earnings, PG&E Corporation CEO Patti Poppe shared new details about the company’s “game-changing” investment in undergrounding power lines to prevent wildfires.

“Undergrounding is a strong, long-term solution for PG&E to reduce wildfire risk in certain parts of our service area,” Poppe said on the call, which included investors, equities analysts and energy reporters.

Poppe outlined an undergrounding schedule for the next four years, sharing an overall target of about 3,600 miles from 2022 to 2026. The work will include:

• 175 miles in 2022


• 400 miles in 2023


• 800 miles in 2024


• 1,000 miles in 2025


• 1,200 miles in 2026

Of the nearly 600 miles the company plans to underground by the end of 2023, more than 50% are already scoped, construction-ready or under construction, Poppe said.

Work will focus on areas where undergrounding can have the greatest effect on reducing wildfire risk and Public Safety Power Shutoffs for customers.

The company is also prioritizing critical facilities, such as hospitals, and looking at factors including terrain, accessibility, constructability, vegetation, existing infrastructure (such as the number of services and transformers), reliability, the potential of trees falling into lines and climate challenges.

When possible, undergrounding projects will address multiple needs and deliver the highest level of safety for customers.

Poppe also explained on the call how undergrounding is an example of PG&E’s simple and affordable model in action.

“We invest in really high-value capital infrastructure and reduce our spend on temporary repairs and annual recurring expenses,” she said. “Our Wildfire Mitigation Plan update later this month will reflect a minimal impact to customers relative to our previous filing.”

And, Poppe said, with scale will come greater efficiency, as the undergrounding cost per mile is forecast to drop from $3.75 million this year to $2.5 million in 2026.

PG&E will file its 2022 Wildfire Mitigation Plan with state regulators on Feb. 25.

Even as undergrounding ramps up, PG&E will continue to deploy additional tools to reduce wildfire risk.

Depending on the needs of local communities, those tools include: installing stronger poles, covered powerlines and sectionalizing devices: conducting enhanced vegetation management; adjusting powerline safety settings; and implementing Public Safety Power Shutoffs.

Read more about our system-hardening efforts here.

Altogether, PG&E’s wildfire safety and undergrounding efforts are combining to make the company’s system safer and more resilient in the face of evolving climate challenges.

To listen to a replay of the earnings call, click here.

Email Currents at Currents@pge.com