Energy & Science
Flood-Prone Gulf Coast Is a Tough Place to Bury Power Lines
- ‘Electricity and water don’t mix,’ says Entergy’s West
- Burying cables is expensive and makes them harder to access
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Hurricane Ida took down more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) of Entergy Corp.’s transmission lines as it plowed through Louisiana and Mississippi, prompting some to wonder why utilities in the region haven’t buried the cables to make grids more resilient.
The question comes up regularly, said Rod West, Entergy’s group president for utility operations. The answer is that it’s both expensive and a poor fit for the Gulf Coast’s unique topography.