Edison to Bury More Than 150 Miles of Lines in LA Fire Area

(Bloomberg) -- Edison International’s utility said it plans to bury more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) of electrical lines at a cost of as much as $925 million as part of a massive rebuilding effort in Los Angeles-area neighborhoods devastated by January wildfires. 

Southern California Edison will target areas most at risk of wildfires for its work, which the company outlined in a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday, according to a statement. 

The expense of putting the new lines underground is estimated at $860 million to $925 million, the utility said. Southern California Edison will ask state regulators for the ability to recover the costs from customers as well as seek funding from federal, state and local governments along with philanthropic funds and technology companies.

Southern California Edison has said that it’s looking at the possibility that its electrical lines sparked the Eaton fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 18 people in the Altadena neighborhood. The utility faces dozens of lawsuits blaming its equipment on the wildfire and could be held responsible for covering billions of dollars of damage claims. 

Newsom sent a letter to Southern California Edison requesting that the utility put power lines underground in the places impacted by the wildfires. Edison credited the governor for speeding up permitting and other processes that will help accelerate the work to bury lines. 

Utilities have been hesitant to underground lines because of the high cost compared to other fire prevention measures. However, PG&E Corp. has committed to burying 10,000 miles in high risk areas in its Northern California service territory after its equipment sparked a series of devastating blazes. 

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