California utilities said they plan to spend $15 billion over the next two years to reduce the risk of their live wires sparking blazes after an historic wildfire season, Bloomberg News reported. PG&E Corp., Edison International’s Southern California Edison and Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric detailed in filings with state regulators on Friday how they will continue to fire-proof their grids. They said they’re refining their safety work and using new tools such as artificial intelligence software to focus on circuits that are most at risk of igniting a large fire. More than 4.2 million acres burned last year across California, shattering previous records as bone-dry conditions, freak lightning and violent winds left the state ripe for conflagrations. Five out of six of the state’s largest fires in history occurred last year, although none of them have been linked to utility equipment. Climate scientists warn that the state is at risk of longer and more intense fire seasons due to extreme heat and drought. California regulators now require utilities to file annual wildfire prevention plans after power lines ignited a series of deadly blazes in 2017 and 2018. Fire liabilities drove PG&E into bankruptcy in 2019, and the company emerged from chapter 11 last year after having settled claims for $25.5 billion.
