Kleinfelder was selected to provide geotechnical and construction inspection and testing support on an unprecedented power line safety enhancement program for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). As part of PG&E’s goal to be the leading electric transmission and distribution company for safety and reliability, it proactively improved its Electric Tower Programs to help maintain and upgrade the safety of the electric grid.

Unprecedented Safety Requirements and Remote Sites

Approximately 44,000 towers will be replaced, with some of the projects running 28 miles in length. PG&E plans to replace up to 880 towers a year. This required Kleinfelder’s professionals and safety leaders to develop and meet unprecedented safety requirements and assemble field teams capable of traveling and working in remote locations crossing many properties and county lines.

Leveraging Pre-existing Geotechnical Data

Having worked in Northern California for more than 60 years, Kleinfelder has a significant amount of local knowledge. In many cases, our teams used pre-existing geotechnical data to reduce the number of borings and tests needed for a project. This reduces time and costs for PG&E, and accelerates the project schedules. To facilitate efficient and cost-effective decisions, Kleinfelder proactively reviewed PG&E’s standard designs to help ensure they met the required program needs.

The power line safety enhancement program is expected to continue through 2029.

Project Results

By using geophysics and pre-existing data to confirm ground conditions, and by considering changes in geologic formations instead of focusing only on towers over a set distance, Kleinfelder was able to reduce the number of borings by 50% in two cases. Kleinfelder’s engineers and geologists have continued to support these projects through the construction phase. As a result of the success of the program, Kleinfelder has seen an annual increase of 28% from 2016 to 2019.

Project Details

Location:
Northern California

Owner:
Pacific Gas and Electric