CLIENT: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON | LOCATION: MALIBU, CA

As a contractor with projects across California since 1997, wildfire prevention is one of the core purposes of MGE’s work. In February 2025, MGE began a partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE) to underground electrical facilities and restore existing electrical systems after the recent fires in Malibu.

MGE’s expertise in undergrounding electrical infrastructure has allowed SCE to reduce the risk of wildfires in these high-risk areas and restore power to houses running off generators. To make these areas more fire-safe, paths must be bored into the ground and the previously overhead electrical lines placed underground in conduit. Traditionally, this process requires extensive trenching, but MGE’s Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) method only requires excavation at the entry and exit point of the bore path. This allows roadways to continue functioning, reduces environmental impact, and saves SCE time and resources. SCE touted our HDD method for its ability to, “safely complete the work as quickly and cost-effectively as possible,” in a recent article.

The areas of Southern California where this project is focused are filled with rocky, steep canyon passes. The HDD method is not only cost effective for our customer, but it allows MGE to work efficiently in this environment by limiting the amount of trenching and dirt being produced. This dirt would normally have to be transported up and down mountain passes, but the reduced amount of excavation required for HDD allows us to underground power lines at a quicker pace and dig up much less terrain.

Of course, HDD is not the right process for every stage of the project. When using rock trenchers or backhoes proves to be timelier and more cost effective, MGE turns to those tried-and-true methods of trenching. This is what we call the “toolbox approach”: the ability to apply the correct tool to each unique situation.

MGE’s goal is to keep California fire-safe, and even when fires become out of control, we’ll be there to restore power and create wildfire prevention infrastructure for the future.