Electric Undergrounding Expediting Program – SB 884
Background
Senate Bill No. 884 (SB 884), which became law on Jan. 1, 2023, requires the Commission to establish a program for expediting the undergrounding of a utility’s electric distribution infrastructure. Only those electrical corporations with 250,000 or more customer accounts within the state (i.e., the large electric corporations Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric) may participate in the program.
To participate in the program, the large electrical corporation must submit a 10-year distribution infrastructure undergrounding plan (hereafter, “Plan”), including, among other requirements, the undergrounding projects that it will construct as part of the Plan, to the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (Energy Safety). Energy Safety is required to review and approve or deny the Plan within nine months of submission. Before approving the Plan, Energy Safety may require the large electrical corporation to modify the Plan. Energy Safety may only approve the Plan if it finds that the electrical corporation’s Plan will achieve, at the least, both of the following:
- Substantially increase reliability by reducing use of public safety power shutoffs, enhanced powerline safety settings, de-energization events, and other outage programs.
- Substantially reduce wildfire risk.
If Energy Safety approves the large electrical corporation’s Plan, the large electrical corporation must submit to the Commission, within 60 days of Energy Safety’s approval, a copy of the Plan and an application requesting review and conditional approval of the plan’s costs (hereafter, “Application”). The Commission must approve or deny the Application within nine months of submission. The Commission may, however, require the large electrical corporation to modify or modify and resubmit the Application prior to approval.
Public Engagement Efforts
Send an email request to SB884@cpuc.ca.gov to be added to the SB-884 Notification List. SB 884 Notification List (updated on 12/8/25)
Technical Working Groups on Potential Updates to the SB 884 Project List Data Requirements
Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting #3 was held on June 24, 2025, to discuss the Interruption Cost Estimator Calculator 2.0 (ICE 2.0).
Agenda (published June 17, 2025)
Master Slide Presentation (presented June 24, 2025)
TWG # Recording (presented June 24, 2025)
Technical Working Group (TWG) meetings #1 and #2 were held on June 3 and June 10, 2025, to discuss revising the SB 884 Project List Data Requirements.
Agenda (published May 27, 2025)
Master Slide Presentation (presented June 3, 2025)
Master Slide Presentation (presented June 10, 2025)
TWG #1 Recording (presented June 3, 2025)
TWG #2 Recording (presented June 10, 2025)
Staff Report on SB-884 Project List Data Requirements Guideline (published May 20, 2025)
Potential CPUC Guideline Updates Workshop
Following the adoption of Energy Safety’s 10-Year Electrical Undergrounding Plan Guidelines on February 20, 2025, the CPUC hosted public workshop on April 8, 2025, to discuss and solicit input from stakeholders on potential updates to the CPUC Guidelines for the program.
Agenda (published April 1, 2025)
Master Slide Presentation (presented April 8, 2025)
Workshop Recording (presented April 8, 2025)
Post-Workshop Questions (published April 11, 2025)
Informal Responses to Post-Workshop Questions (received April 25, 2025)
Initial Workshop
As a starting point, the two responsible State entities, Energy Safety and the CPUC, jointly sponsored a first public workshop on February 24, 2023.
Workshop #1 - CPUC and Energy Safety Joint SB-884 Pre-Rulemaking Workshop, February 24, 2023
Agenda (published February 9, 2023)
Background and Scoping Issues (published February 9, 2023)
Master Slide Presentation (presented February 24, 2023)
Workshop Recording (presented February 24, 2023)
Informal Comments (received March 10, 2023)
Implementation
Final Resolution SPD-37 (Published December 10, 2025)
CPUC Guidelines for SB 884 Program (Revised from the March 8, 2025 version) (Published December 10, 2025)
Reply Comments on Draft Resolution SPD-37 (Published September 9, 2025)
Opening Comments on Draft Resolution SPD-37 (Published September 4, 2025)
Draft Resolution SPD-37 (Published August 15, 2025)
Draft Resolution SPD-37 Cover Letter and Certificate of Service (Published August 15, 2025)
SB 884 Project List Data Requirements Guidelines (Published July 24, 2025)
SB 884 Project List Data Template Clean Version (Published July 24, 2025)
Informal Responses to Questions (received November 12, 2024)
Final Resolution SPD-15 (published March 8, 2024)
CPUC Guidelines for SB 884 Program (formerly titled Staff Proposal) (published March 8, 2024)
Reply Comments on Draft Resolution SPD-15 (received January 11, 2024)
Opening Comments on Draft Resolution SPD-15 (received December 28, 2023)
Final Staff Proposal for SB 884 Program (published November 9, 2023)
Draft Resolution SPD-15 (published November 9, 2023)
SPD-15 Comment Letter and Certificate of Service (published November 9, 2023)
Draft Staff Proposal for SB 884 Program (published September 13, 2023)
Informal Comments for Draft Staff Proposal
Dec. 4, 2025: CPUC Updates California’s Expedited Undergrounding Program and Expands Oversight to Protect Ratepayers
The CPUC adopted new measures to strengthen the state’s long-term wildfire safety undergrounding program, advancing California’s efforts to prevent catastrophic wildfires and build a safer, more reliable electric grid while reinforcing oversight, transparency, and ratepayer protections. The CPUC’s action updates the SB 884 Expedited Utility Distribution Undergrounding Program to help utilities more effectively reduce wildfire risk by undergrounding power lines in high-fire threat areas, while maintaining strong accountability to ratepayers. The Resolution approved, SPD-37, aligns the CPUC’s guidelines with the 10-Year Electrical Undergrounding Plan Guidelines issued earlier this year by the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (Energy Safety). The refinements ensure that wildfire mitigation projects deliver both safety and value, and that utilities plan and implement projects with consistent data and strong oversight.
Key Refinements
- Sharper wildfire-risk targeting: Focuses undergrounding projects where they most reduce ignition risk, aligning CPUC review with the state’s Energy Safety guidelines.
- Better project data for accountability: Requires utilities to submit detailed, standardized cost, benefit, and risk-reduction information so the CPUC and stakeholders can verify that undergrounding projects deliver measurable wildfire-risk reduction and reliability improvements.
- New cost cap and clarified audit process: Establishes a cap on the total costs utilities may record in the program’s memorandum account, and implements a clear annual audit process to confirm whether spending meets the CPUC’s conditions. If an audit finds that costs do not comply, the CPUC may determine whether adjustments or refunds are appropriate.
- A new, open process for evaluating costs and benefits: launches a new, dedicated proceeding to finalize the technical Benefit-to-Cost Ratio (BCR) methodology in the context of ten-year undergrounding plans, with utilities required to jointly propose an approach and all stakeholders able to file counter-proposals.
The CPUC’s continued refinements to the SB 884 program strengthens the safe, cost-effective, and timely implementation of undergrounding projects that protect communities and strengthen California’s electric grid.