PG&E Reaches 1,000-Mile Undergrounding Milestone—CPNA's One-Pass Trenching Accelerates Wildfire Mitigation

PG&E Reaches 1,000-Mile Undergrounding Milestone—CPNA's One-Pass Trenching Accelerates Wildfire Mitigation

Pacific Gas & Electric Company completed 1,000 miles of underground power lines as part of its wildfire mitigation strategy. Check it out on Instagram. Cable Protect North America (CPNA) accelerated this program by delivering one-pass trenching technology across Northern California's most challenging terrain—maintaining aggressive production schedules through granite, basalt, and volcanic formations that slow conventional methods. 

California Communities Need Speed and Reliability 

PG&E's undergrounding program targets High Fire Threat Districts where overhead power lines create ignition risk. The 1,000-mile milestone, completed since 2021, addresses a critical challenge: eliminating wildfire exposure without extending timelines or overwhelming budgets. 

CPNA's integrated cable installation services delivered the speed PG&E's program required. Our one-pass trenching contractors completed installations across Butte County and surrounding fire zones, proving that specialized equipment maintains production through challenging subsurface conditions conventional methods struggle to handle efficiently. 

One-Pass Trenching Eliminates Installation Inefficiencies 

Traditional underground cable installation requires multiple equipment passes, imported backfill materials, and prolonged community disruption. CPNA combines excavation, conduit placement, and backfilling into a single continuous operation—cutting project timelines and reducing costs. 

Our methodology delivers results across diverse geology. CPNA maintains consistent production rates through dense rock, granite, basalt, and volcanic formations. We screen and utilize native soils for backfill, eliminating imported material requirements and reducing truck traffic through residential areas. 

PG&E's program faces severe access constraints in remote areas and community sensitivity in regions recovering from wildfire devastation. Where conventional methods require sequential equipment mobilizations over extended timelines, CPNA's one-pass system completes installations in compressed schedules—eliminating weeks of access restrictions and construction exposure. 

Building Toward 10,000 Miles 

PG&E's 1,000-mile achievement marks progress toward a 10,000-mile vision. Sustaining this pace requires contractors who deliver consistent production across California's diverse geology, compressed timelines that minimize community impact, and proven environmental compliance. 

CPNA's work on PG&E projects demonstrates how integrated services change undergrounding economics. By eliminating multiple equipment passes and maintaining production through conditions that limit conventional methods, one-pass trenching enables utilities to execute ambitious infrastructure programs within acceptable cost and timeline parameters. 

Utilities across North America face similar wildfire mitigation requirements and grid modernization mandates. Federal infrastructure funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act accelerates undergrounding demand, creating pressure to identify contractors and technologies capable of executing large-scale programs efficiently. 

CPNA's proven technology addresses these challenges directly: maintaining production through complex geology, minimizing project timelines and community impact, and delivering cost-effective installation that justifies substantial capital investment. 

Cable Protect North America delivers specialized one-pass trenching and integrated cable installation services for utility grid hardening, renewable energy infrastructure, and telecommunications projects across North America. Ready to accelerate your next undergrounding project? Contact CPNA.