Burying power lines is costly, difficult process in Houston. Here’s why (2024)

FAQs

Burying power lines is costly, difficult process in Houston. Here’s why? ›

The cost. Burying power lines is particularly challenging in densely developed areas due to the intricate network of existing infrastructure, including internet cables, sewer pipes, and natural gas lines. Additionally, floodplains present a significant obstacle because electricity and water are incompatible.

Cost: Underground cables are more than ten times more expensive to produce since they have superior insulation that has to be resistant to soil, weather, and chemicals. The cost of underground power lines is made even more expensive because they are harder to replace and upgrade.

As we're used to seeing power lines above ground, she said the reason they're not being buried as often is that they're expensive and can take longer to fix. “It's very expensive to retrofit a system and go back and bury powerlines. Very expensive, billions of dollars," she said.

Underground lines are more disruptive to the environment than overhead lines, as vegetation must be cleared to allow for construction and vehicular access. Heavy equipment can destroy habitats, and soil compaction can limit biodiversity.

Susceptible to flooding. Difficult to locate faults. Limitations on voltages that can be buried underground.

Burying power cables, or “undergrounding,” makes lines impervious to damage from wind and ice, and harder for would-be attackers to target.

Economic Benefits of Undergrounding

Visual improvements to commercial areas attract new business, stimulate economic development, and increase property values.

Cost not safety or continuity of electrical service is the reason that power lines are not underground in the U.S. Burying them below ground would eliminate the electrocution danger created by downed power wires and prevent or minimize outages during storms.

The lines shall be buried a minimum of 36 inches under highway ditches, and 60 inches below the pavement structure. Encasem*nt shall be provided as outlined in this section. (C) Installation. Longitudinal underground electric lines may be placed by plowing or open trench method.

EPCOR is responsible for the power meter and the service line from the transformer to the property line. ​Homeowners are responsible for the underground power line from the property line to the power meter, as well as the conduit and the wire within, and the meter box components.

How long do buried power lines last? ›

Underground high-voltage transmission lines have a life expectancy of 40+ years, while overhead lines have a life expectancy of more than 80 years.

Typically, residential powerlines are buried between 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) deep. Local building codes and utility regulations often dictate the minimum depth to which power lines must be buried to ensure safety and minimize the risk of accidental damage.

A 1979 study first raised concerns about a link between living near high-voltage power lines and the risk of childhood leukemia. Since then, most studies have not found an association.

It's difficult to bury lines, especially in heavily developed areas, where veritable mazes of internet cables, sewer pipes, and natural gas lines have already been implanted in the ground. Floodplains make for another onerous challenge too, since electricity and water don't mix well.

SCE – the cost associated with replacing the existing overhead distribution system using larger bare conductor is approximately $300,000 per circuit mile, while the cost for an underground conversion is approximately $3 million per circuit mile (see SCE's Grid Safety and Resiliency Application (A.

Some public power utilities — like Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Anaheim, California — have had underground ordinances for years. They have beautified their cities and improved the performance of their systems. Fort Collins is 99% underground and 99.9% reliable.

Cost to run power underground vs.

The average cost to run power underground is $10 to $25 per foot, or $5,000 to $12,500 for 500' of new electrical lines. Overhead power line installation costs $5 to $15 per foot, or $4,000 to $7,500 for 500'.

The construction cost of undergrounding is much greater than for overhead, depending on a range of factors that are specific to each project. Underground cables will generally cost many times more than the comparable overhead powerline option.

Underground high-voltage transmission lines have a life expectancy of 40+ years, while overhead lines have a life expectancy of more than 80 years.

High technical requirements, high cost, manufacturing and construction difficulties. In addition, the cable is buried underground, it is not easy to find faults, and it is also difficult to repair and maintain.