I never did understand why power cables weren't run in underground conduits in this day and age, is it some sort of technical limitation?

My mother has underground cables to her home in the UK, but the main lines are of course still over ground. I can't imagine that it's cheaper to build and maintain towers for cables than it is to dig a trench and run some plastic conduit, but I could be wrong, does anyone know?

Burying the cables would negate many of the issues caused by weather in a very simple way.

To everyone affected, hope you and your loved ones stay safe.

In Connecticut 3 feet plus ...all highways closed! Gonna be a couple of days to dig out.

I just found out that you will get a $500 fine in my town if you are driving a vehicle without a plow on it.

Police are asking people for their snow mobiles for police use.

I'm in Rhode Island but we were lucky and never lost power. I was amazed! Ton of snow out there!
For my fellow Rhode Islanders and anyone else who has lost power, you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I wonder how our homeless people made out? Hope they got to shelters somewhere.

Two and a half hours with a snow blower to dig us out today.
As it is now, there haven't been a plow through our area. We didn't lose power but all of our family has, luckily two of them have generators, but my elderly in laws have no power, no heat, and no roads cleared yet. Hopefully they will get aid before they get any colder.
We measured at almost 30 inches of snow total.
Has anyone out there hear any thunder last night? It was reported on the news.

Originally posted by babybunnies
I never did understand why power cables weren't run in underground conduits in this day and age, is it some sort of technical limitation?

Not really a technical limitation, but very much a financial one.
It's much more expensive to build an underground reticulation system than overhead construction. Older areas here have overhead systems but underground is becoming the norm for new subdivisions (which consequently have higher land prices because the developer is up for the difference in cost between underground and overhead construction). IE someone has to pay and there's already grumbling about rising energy prices.

Living in an underground area doesn't necessarily spare you from blackouts in bad weather unless the entire system from the local zone substation (source of distribution HV feeders) is underground and even then, the EHV transmission into those subs is probably overhead anyway and exposed to weather events.