Edison Has Miles of Idle Power Lines in High Fire Risk Zones
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Edison International’s Southern California utility has 465 miles of unused power lines like the one accused of sparking January’s deadly Eaton Fire and is now weighing whether some should be removed, the parent company’s CEO said.
Lawyers suing the company allege that an idle line taken out of service in 1971 briefly became re-energized on Jan. 7, creating an electric arc that sparked the blaze. Edison Chief Executive Officer Pedro Pizarro said the company often keeps such idle lines in place, rather than taking them down, in case that route for electricity is needed again. Removing the equipment could cause some of the property easements for those power lines to lapse, he said.