SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric plans to bury 10,000 miles of its power lines in an effort to prevent its fraying grid from sparking wildfires when electrical equipment collides with millions of trees and other vegetation.
The daunting project announced Wednesday aims to bury roughly 10% of PG&E’s power lines at a projected cost of $15 billion to $30 billion.
Most of that expense will likely be shouldered by PG&E customers, whose electricity rates are already among the highest in the U.S.
The commitment comes just days after PG&E acknowledged a tree that toppled onto a power line may have ignited another major fire.