Southern California Edison Provides Rebuilding Plan for Electric Distribution in Altadena and Malibu

Plan Reflects Input from Community and Key Stakeholders with a Focus on Resilience

ROSEMEAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southern California Edison today provided an initial comprehensive plan to rebuild the impacted electrical distribution infrastructure in the Altadena and Malibu areas affected by the January wildfires. The plan focuses on increasing reliability and long-term resilience, including the undergrounding of new distribution equipment. SCE’s preliminary plan would underground 153 circuit miles: 130 circuit miles, which includes nearly all distribution power lines in High Fire Risk Areas (HFRA) within the burn scars of the affected communities — plus 23 circuit miles in areas of Altadena not in HFRA. An additional 19 circuit miles in Altadena are being evaluated.

SCE laid out a detailed plan in a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, summarizing work and areas for collaboration with local, state and federal government; nonprofit and technology partners; and community members. The cost of the rebuild is estimated at $860M to $925M. SCE will work to find efficiencies and seek funds from various entities to make the plan a reality.

“Just three months have passed since the devastating wildfires, and all of us at Edison continue to keep those affected in our thoughts. We’re working closely with state and county leaders and the communities of Altadena and Malibu to rebuild wildfire-impacted areas stronger than ever,” said Pedro J. Pizarro, president and CEO of Edison International, SCE’s parent company. “SCE’s rebuilding plan will underground electrical distribution infrastructure where feasible and make the most of breakthrough technologies to reduce wildfire risk.”

“Governor Newsom’s leadership during this tragedy has been instrumental, contributing to an environment where SCE could design and permit projects in a matter of weeks instead of what would usually take years,” Pizarro said, adding that continued collaboration to streamline projects and secure funding resources is needed to rebuild wildfire-impacted communities without delay.

“SCE will build back a resilient, reliable grid for our customers,” said Steven Powell, president and CEO of SCE. “We are increasing electrical capacity in fire-impacted communities and exploring advanced technologies, such as battery backup for critical care customers and smart panels, to better serve our customers. We will continue to engage community members to make sure their views remain a critical part of the rebuild. I am proud to work alongside SCE colleagues as we support our communities and build a resilient, clean and affordable energy future.”

Edison International has acknowledged the possibility of SCE’s equipment being involved in the cause of the Eaton Fire. The investigation is ongoing, and the company remains committed to transparency with the public. While some parties have initiated litigation, this in no way affects our commitment to support SCE communities as we rebuild together. The rebuilding plan includes:

• Undergrounding 40 circuit miles of distribution lines in Altadena and surrounding neighborhoods within HFRA and 23 circuit miles in non-HFRA, along with 90 circuit miles in Malibu and the nearby area within HFRA. SCE is evaluating the feasibility of an additional 19 circuit miles in Altadena. The scope and timing of undergrounding is based on permitting, community and customer plans, and the ability to secure funding. Some sections of the grid are set to be completed in just a few months while others are expected to take several years. Power lines that are not undergrounded will be hardened with covered conductor. The plan, refined through continued discussions and requiring support from various entities, will reduce Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) and enhance service reliability for customers.

• Upgrading infrastructure to accommodate greater customer demand for electricity, increase reliability and support clean energy adoption. These efforts, which are consistent with SCE’s grid enhancement plans throughout the service area, include updating the grid design to accommodate more customer demand (such as increasing the distribution voltage in west Altadena from 4 kV to 16 kV) and advanced grid technologies such as automation to enhance SCE’s ability to maintain equipment, isolate disruptions and restore service faster.

• Strengthening long-term community resilience and optimizing the grid through localized energy solutions. These efforts include exploring the potential to develop designated Community Resiliency Zones where customers can shelter with backup power during emergencies; providing portable battery storage for critical care customers; and installing smart panels at rebuilt residential properties to provide greater control over energy usage and easier adoption of new technologies.

• Benefitting customers by accelerating rebuilding through cross-sector collaboration, including partnerships with Los Angeles County, Caltrans and telecommunications providers to consider ways to coordinate civil work, reduce costs and streamline permitting. SCE is actively exploring more ways to reduce these costs and seeking opportunities to access state, federal and philanthropic funds to ease the financial burden on customers.

SCE has conducted over 50 community engagements, town halls and listening sessions since January to develop the plan. Discussions will continue in the weeks and months ahead and be used to refine SCE’s rebuilding plan.

About Southern California Edison

An Edison International (NYSE: EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of approximately 15 million via 5 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.