I was just running errands and tuned in to a random weekend talk show. The host asked an interesting question: Why are electrical power lines still above ground, where they are vulnerable to storms and terrorists?
The same reason you don't see basements there. Too hard, too many rocks and it would be quite expensive to do it.
European visitors ask me the same thing. Power lines are not above ground in most of Europe.
Because it costs a small fortune to underground them, for one. I'm in a city of 150,000 where we are about 20 percent undergrounded. We just got an estimate on doing the rest of the city: a mere 200 million dollars.
Second, undergrounding isn't necessarily a solution. Underground transformer vaults get flooded and short out. When an underground transformer blows, it's more of an 'event' than just losing one on a pole.
Because in the south there are more fire ants than either of the former. And for some reason, they like electric power lines.
(Answer only partially facetious)
"Why are electrical power lines still above ground, where they are vulnerable to storms and terrorists?"
We recently had a study here in Tulsa about this. The cost is $600,000/mile. for existing lines. the cost for newly developed regions are much lower.
After Hugo, South Carolina and Electric was asked the same question. Their answer - to expensive.
In some areas, I understand that it has been done in some places. Although lines in residential neighborhoods would be buried the large lines that carry the power from the plant to the stations to the customer would still be above ground and vunerable.