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Experts tell Assembly fast‑trip operational controls cut ignitions sharply; undergrounding remains costly
Summary
A UC Berkeley study and multiple witnesses told the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Energy that enhanced system settings — fast‑trip operational controls — have substantially reduced ignitions and are more cost‑effective in many cases than large capital projects such as undergrounding.
Assembly members heard technical and academic testimony about which wildfire mitigation measures deliver the biggest reductions in ignitions per dollar spent.
Duncan Callaway, professor and chair of UC Berkeley’s Energy and Resources Group, presented research finding that “enhanced power system safety settings,” known as EPSS or fast‑trip, reduced ignitions by roughly 82% in PG&E territory and are highly cost‑effective. Callaway said those operational measures emerged in 2021–2022 and “have made an enormous difference.” He cautioned that while undergrounding can nearly eliminate risk on…
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