{"id":30467,"date":"2025-09-25T14:29:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trccompanies.com\/?post_type=news-and-insights&p=30467"},"modified":"2025-09-25T14:29:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:29:19","slug":"hardening-vs-hiding-is-undergrounding-always-the-best-wildfire-and-weather-solution","status":"publish","type":"news-and-insights","link":"https:\/\/www.trccompanies.com\/fr\/insights\/hardening-vs-hiding-is-undergrounding-always-the-best-wildfire-and-weather-solution\/","title":{"rendered":"Hardening vs. Hiding: Is Undergrounding Always the Best Wildfire and Weather Solution?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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From California to New York, extreme weather and wildfires are putting unprecedented pressure on utility distribution systems. As a result, utility leaders face a pivotal question: is it better to harden overhead systems or eliminate much of the risk through undergrounding?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer isn\u2019t just about cost- it demands a holistic view of risk, geography, operations and long-term strategy. And increasingly, utilities are reevaluating the long-held assumption that undergrounding is prohibitively expensive.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the Difference?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Hardening includes but is not limited to, the upgrading of overhead distribution systems with additional protection equipment, systematically upgrading or covering conductors, implementing pole hardening standards to include composite and concrete poles, and upgrading or adding advanced protective relays. It can be a cost-effective way to reduce both ignition risk and storm damage. Undergrounding removes lines from the surface and places them below ground via trenching, tunneling or directional boring. Though often seen as more expensive, it offers substantial long-term protection -and in many cases a lower lifecycle cost.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wildfire and Weather Risk: What the Data Shows <\/span><\/h2>\n

Covered conductors can reduce wildfire ignition risk by 60-90%<\/a>, depending on utility-specific factors like terrain and vegetation. When paired with technologies like high speed fault clearing, risk mitigation improves, but exposure remains. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Undergrounding pushes that mitigation into the upper 90% range. By burying lines, utilities remove the primary ignition source. While above-ground pad-mounted equipment remains, the overall fire risk drops dramatically. And when wildfires are sparked by external factors- lightning, human activity, or arson- underground systems will not suffer catastrophic damage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bottom line: Undergrounding not only prevents fires- it protects assets from destruction when fires break out.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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