In all the conversation about PG&E's looming bankruptcy, I feel like Californians grossly underestimate the costs of adapting our energy grid to climate change/wildfire. It's $4-5M/mile to underground lines, $5K/stump to remove hazardous trees. PG&E did 451K of them after 2016.
5-6K is what people in my area get quoted. And I live in a high cost part of the state, in the Bay Area.
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$5k sounds like cost of removing hazard tree once already ID’d. Inspection in remote and/or mountainous areas is expensive - often requires helicopter time. Adds up if frequent monitoring req’d to reduce risk to acceptable level - e.g., ultra dry conditions.
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Can’t speak specifically to PG&E, but downed equipment/ distribution line trips is an everyday occurance for electric utilities. Minimal prevention; focus on identifying the fault and dispatching crews to fix. Not a great fit for wildfire prevention in extreme dry conditions
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