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Underground power line
An underground power line provides electrical power with underground cables. Compared to overhead power lines, underground lines have lower risk of starting a wildfire and reduce the risk of the electrical supply being interrupted by outages during high winds, thunderstorms or heavy snow or ice storms. An added benefit of undergrounding is the aesthetic quality of the landscape without the powerlines. Undergrounding can increase the capital cost of electric power transmission and distribution but may decrease operating costs over the lifetime of the cables.
Early undergrounding had a basis in the detonation of mining explosives and in undersea telegraph cables. Electric cables were used in Russia to detonate mining explosives in 1812, and to carry telegraph signals across the English Channel in 1850.
With the spread of early electrical power systems, undergrounding began to increase as well. Thomas Edison used underground DC “street pipes” in his early electric power distribution networks; they were insulated first with jute in 1880, and progressed to rubber insulation in 1882.
Subsequent developments occurred in both insulation and fabrication techniques:
During the 20th century direct-buried cable became commonplace.
Aerial cables that carry high-voltage electricity and are supported by large pylons are generally considered an unattractive feature of the countryside. Underground cables can transmit power across densely populated areas or areas where land is costly, environmentally sensitive, or aesthetically sensitive. Underground and underwater crossings may be a practical alternative to crossing rivers.
For example, as of 2024, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin determined that the installation cost of a 69-kilovolt aboveground power line is $284,000 per mile. In contrast, an equivalent underground line costs $1.5 million per mile. As ratepayers ultimately bear these costs, utilities exercise discretion in selecting which lines to bury.
The UK regulator Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) permits transmission companies to recoup the cost of some undergrounding in their prices to consumers. The undergrounding must be in National Parks or designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to qualify. In 2021 work started on a project to bury 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) of 400kV overhead power lines running from near Winterbourne Abbas to Friar Waddon (50°40′08″N 2°30′50″W / 50.669°N 2.514°W, north-west of Weymouth) in Dorset AONB. Similar schemes are planned for Snowdonia, the Peak District and the North Wessex Downs. The most visually intrusive overhead cables of the core transmission network are excluded from the scheme. Some undergrounding projects are funded by the proceeds of national lottery.
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Underground power line AI simulator
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Underground power line
An underground power line provides electrical power with underground cables. Compared to overhead power lines, underground lines have lower risk of starting a wildfire and reduce the risk of the electrical supply being interrupted by outages during high winds, thunderstorms or heavy snow or ice storms. An added benefit of undergrounding is the aesthetic quality of the landscape without the powerlines. Undergrounding can increase the capital cost of electric power transmission and distribution but may decrease operating costs over the lifetime of the cables.
Early undergrounding had a basis in the detonation of mining explosives and in undersea telegraph cables. Electric cables were used in Russia to detonate mining explosives in 1812, and to carry telegraph signals across the English Channel in 1850.
With the spread of early electrical power systems, undergrounding began to increase as well. Thomas Edison used underground DC “street pipes” in his early electric power distribution networks; they were insulated first with jute in 1880, and progressed to rubber insulation in 1882.
Subsequent developments occurred in both insulation and fabrication techniques:
During the 20th century direct-buried cable became commonplace.
Aerial cables that carry high-voltage electricity and are supported by large pylons are generally considered an unattractive feature of the countryside. Underground cables can transmit power across densely populated areas or areas where land is costly, environmentally sensitive, or aesthetically sensitive. Underground and underwater crossings may be a practical alternative to crossing rivers.
For example, as of 2024, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin determined that the installation cost of a 69-kilovolt aboveground power line is $284,000 per mile. In contrast, an equivalent underground line costs $1.5 million per mile. As ratepayers ultimately bear these costs, utilities exercise discretion in selecting which lines to bury.
The UK regulator Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) permits transmission companies to recoup the cost of some undergrounding in their prices to consumers. The undergrounding must be in National Parks or designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) to qualify. In 2021 work started on a project to bury 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) of 400kV overhead power lines running from near Winterbourne Abbas to Friar Waddon (50°40′08″N 2°30′50″W / 50.669°N 2.514°W, north-west of Weymouth) in Dorset AONB. Similar schemes are planned for Snowdonia, the Peak District and the North Wessex Downs. The most visually intrusive overhead cables of the core transmission network are excluded from the scheme. Some undergrounding projects are funded by the proceeds of national lottery.