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Joining the Underground

Joining the Underground

I can understand how hard it is to restore power after a storm. I appreciate the endless work that the crews put in over many weeks.

What I can’t understand is why the power companies are stuck in contingent action and don’t employ preventive action. Over the long haul, isn’t it cheaper to bury all the power, phone, internet, and cable lines than it is to continually reconstruct them? And isn’t it both environmentally and aesthetically far superior?

We have a power infrastructure that dates from the beginnings of the discovery of electricity. And we’re thinking about missions to Mars? Will they be powered by a very long extension cord?

Written by

Alan Weiss is a consultant, speaker, and author of over 60 books. His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients from over 500 leading organizations around the world.

Comments: 4

  • Arnie Howes

    March 9, 2018

    I work for the largest utility in the U.S. and can tell you that the electric companies would certainly like to do such a thing. But…there isn’t a business case for it yet or they would have done it.
    I’m not a budgeting or rate case expert by any means, but I do know that such a large (preventive) cost would likely involve a rate increase that would have to be approved by commissions. Rate commissions always balk at capital expenditures that are not urgent due to pressure from consumer groups.
    You and I both know preventive is better than contingent, but in this case the politics and initial cost of the matter combined cause it to be a less attractive option.
    And I agree with your assessment of the restoration of power. Line workers often endure severe conditions to restore power. People should buy them coffee rather than chastising them for working only two or three days without rest…

  • Sten Vesterli

    March 13, 2018

    There was an interesting study on the blackouts after the pre-Halloween snowstorm some years ago. It showed that customers of public utilities suffered fewer blackouts than customers of private utilities. The reason was that the public utilities took preventive action (cutting trees next to power lines) while the private utilities didn’t. The ROI showed the private companies right (it was cheaper to restore than to prevent), but the customers of the public companies were happier.

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