Four months after devastating wildfires swept across Los Angeles, Edison International’s Southern California utility submitted a $6.2 billion mitigation plan that includes installing hundreds of miles of underground distribution lines, among other measures.
The utility plans to make the investment over three years starting in 2026 and ending in 2028, according a statement. The proposal calls for the installation of at least 440 circuit miles of covered conductors and at least 260 circuit miles of underground distribution lines, as well as support for aerial firefighting assets like the world’s largest helitankers with nighttime firefighting capabilities.
Related: LA Fire Investigation Will Take a Year or More, Edison CEO Says
In March, Edison said it had 465 miles of unused power lines like the one believed to have sparked January’s deadly Eaton Fire in LA County. About 250 miles of those lines run through areas at high risk of wildfires.
Top photo: Southern California Edison Co. contractors repair power poles after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.
Topics Louisiana