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Wildfires are a growing threat in California, and utilities like PG&E and SDG&E have invested billions in grid hardening and fire prevention strategies. These include undergrounding power lines, adding remote shutoff switches, trimming vegetation, and installing smart sensors.

These improvements, while essential for safety and grid resilience, are extremely expensive — and the costs are passed on to you, the consumer. Burying power lines alone can cost over $3 million per mile.

In response, the California Public Utilities Commission has approved multiple rate hikes to fund these efforts. That means even if your usage stays the same, your bill goes up — simply to cover infrastructure improvements and wildfire prevention.

Sources:

• https://calmatters.org/environment/2024/12/pge-utilities-wildfire-prevention-customer-bills-california/

• https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/

• https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-08/inadvertent-risk-exposure-high-natural-gas-prices-are-driving-cost-of-electricity-up

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california electricity rates, wildfire prevention utility bills, grid upgrades pge, why is electricity expensive california, sdge infrastructure costs, pge rate hike 2025