On March 22, we explored how strategic undergrounding of powerlines can make the grid more resilient by minimizing damages from hazards and threats such as extreme weather events and wildfires. Undergrounding powerlines is, not only aesthetically pleasing, but has the added benefit of mitigating societal and economic disruptions caused by electricity outages.
This virtual event highlighted how to evaluate the cost versus the value of undergrounding powerlines to help target this solution to the areas where it’s feasible. Virtual attendees heard from utilities that have implemented this strategy and the challenges they had to overcome. Additionally state and local regulators discussed their approach to assess undergrounding projects in their respective jurisdictions
Source: https://www.energy.gov/oe/resilient-power-grids-strategically-undergrounding-powerlines