Why would a utility go through the trouble—logistically and financially—to move power lines underground? Based on the trends we’ve been seeing here at Energy Central, it has a lot to do with extreme weather risk.
Let’s roll the tape from this week →
Duke Energy Florida is planning for future hurricane seasons. Last week, Duke gave St. Petersburg, FL, city council members an update on its new Storm Protection Plan. The highlight? About 26,000 Duke customers in St. Petersburg will receive electricity from the underground lines by 2027.
At Duke, the strategy for mitigating extreme weather risk has centered on laterals, the small lines that connect to residences (and the most susceptible to extreme weather, like Hurricane Helene expected to make landfall in Florida tonight). Duke plans to bury half and storm-harden the rest of its roughly 1,500 miles of primary overhead and underground lines.
Pacific Gas & Electric doesn’t want to repeat past fire seasons. PG&E has been burying power lines in Napa County, California, for a local hospital since August. The utility plans to bury 93 miles of electrical lines and install 116 miles of poles in the Napa area by the end of 2026.
The why: In September 2020, the 67,484-acre Glass Fire destroyed 1,555 structures—and sparked two miles from the hospital. Investigators ruled out PG&E power equipment as the fire’s cause, but the utility is still focused on efforts to fire risk and prevent outages.
Dominion Energy is hoping for a win-win. The utility is spearheading a transition to underground power lines in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina.
The goal?
- Improve aesthetics: Residents have submitted complaints about the 500 trees Dominion plans to remove due to proximity to power lines
- Improve weather preparedness: Hurricane season comes every year, after all.
Big picture: Burying power lines isn’t necessarily a cure-all for utilities’ biggest woes. Underground systems are still susceptible to floodwaters and storm surges, and the act of bringing overhead underground is costly and labor-intensive. But? Underground infrastructure is more environmentally resilient. And in the middle of a stronger-than-usual hurricane season, that’s a priority for utilities.
