Dive Summary:
- After Hurricane Sandy knocked out power to 8.5 million customers across 21 states, utilities are considering whether or not to bury power lines to protect them from extreme weather.
- Many utilities are reluctant to bury power lines, citing an estimated $2.1 million per mile cost and the inability to protect power lines from all eventualities.
- Some consumers and politicians across the country are calling for utilities to bury their lines, citing the need for reliable power and the recent surges in extreme weather.
From the article:
"Hurricane Sandy’s record blackouts and prolonged recovery laid bare the U.S. electrical grid’s vulnerability to wind and flood, renewing calls for utilities to invest billions to toughen their defenses against extreme weather that may become more common.
European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom routinely bury cables that connect homes to power networks, protecting them from wind and ice. U.S. utilities have balked at moving more infrastructure below ground, saying consumers would object to spending as much as $2.1 million a mile, according to one industry estimate, to bury wires for a system that’s not fail-safe. ..."