Southern California Edison Capex Jumps on T&D, Wildfire Mitigation

Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--California electric utility Southern California Edison (SCE) (Rosemead, California) plans to make capital expenditures (capex) of at least $31.5 billion, and as much as $36.5 billion, over the 2025-2028 period, officials with SCE's corporate parent, Edison International, told investors July 31.

Most of the planned capital spending will go to expanding the utility's transmission & distribution (T&D) system and implementing wildfire mitigation measures. Planned annual capital outlays over the 2025-2028 period are, on average, about $2.5 billion more per year than the 2023-2024 capital spend, data from the earnings call showed.

Click on the image at right to see SCE's historical and planned capex program.

Beyond planned capital outlays of $31.5 billion over the 2025-2028 period, regulators may allow the utility to invest up to an additional $5 billion in the following projects: an enterprise resource management (ERP) system; advanced metering infrastructure; other grid investments supporting restoration, reliability, resilience and readiness; and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)-jurisdictional transmission lines.

Industrial Info is tracking about 22 active SCE capital projects, valued at about $4.72 billion. Subscribers to IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for a list of detailed project reports.

The project with the biggest price tag, at about $2.7 billion, is the demolition and dismantlement of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), which closed in 2013. After that, there are several large high-voltage transmission line upgrades, expansions and rebuilds, as well as some grassroot projects.

SCE has largely gotten out of the power generation side of the business. Most of the electricity it delivers to an estimated 15 million people in Southern, Coastal and Central California comes from the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).

SCE's increased investments in transmission and distribution (T&D) are needed to meet the increased electrification of its service area, to implement its share of state wildfire mitigation efforts and to fulfil its part in advancing California's clean energy goals, executives told investors July 31. That clean energy goal, set in law, is that all electricity delivered to customers across the state will come from renewable and zero-carbon resources by 2045.

The utility needs to expand its T&D system to import renewable energy in sufficient quantities to meet the state's clean energy goals.

The Golden State has experienced numerous wildfires in recent years. Some wildfire seasons are worse than others. This past January, a series of wildfires engulfed Southern California. Eaton and Woolsey, two of the state's most destructive wildfires in that month, affected SCE and its customers.

Company executives told investors that SCE planned to invest about $6.2 billion over the 2026-2028 period to reduce the risk of wildfires associated with utility equipment. Its "layered defense strategy" included these measures:

• Distribution system hardening: Additional 700+ miles of covered conductor and targeted undergrounding
• Transmission hardening: Enhanced standards and proactive upgrades to reduce ignition risk on transmission infrastructure
• New technology deployment: Deploying new and expanded tools to identify and prevent ignition risks early
• Aerial suppression: Supporting aerial firefighting resources to improve rapid wildfire response and public safety
• Enhanced situational awareness: Using weather stations, HD cameras and forecasting to monitor and respond to wildfire risk
• More aggressive vegetation management: Removing hazardous trees and maintaining clearances to prevent vegetation-related ignitions.

"The January wildfires underscore the importance of mitigation plans and the need for continuous and evolving tools to maintain infrastructure resiliency. SCE continues to invest in new and innovative solutions to reduce wildfire risk," said Pedro Pizarro, president and chief executive officer of corporate parent Edison International.

For the second quarter, Edison International earned $343 million on $4.5 billion of sales, a decline from year-earlier profits of $439 million on revenue of $4.3 billion. In the just-completed quarter, operation and maintenance costs climbed about $295 million over year-earlier results.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).