Standardizing Utility Design at Scale: PG&E’s Move to Automated Utility Design
T&D World recently hosted a webinar, Undergrounding at Scale: PG&E’s Innovations and Lessons Learned, exploring how Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is advancing its ambitious undergrounding program. The session featured insights from PG&E leaders on strategy, technology, and lessons learned from deploying new approaches in the field. One highlight came from Trevor Fulks, Senior Manager of Strategy, Innovation, and Partnership at PG&E, who discussed how Automated Utility Design (AUD) is transforming the company’s design and construction process.
When large-scale utility projects shift in the field, the ability to pivot quickly can make or break schedules and budgets. For PG&E, the traditional process of redesigning jobs, whether for a small adjustment or a major re-route, was too dependent on individual expertise.
“The readiness to pivot can’t be dependent upon a single person who happens to know their business really well. It needs to be a process feature, an integral part of our process,” Fulks explained.
That need for agility is a driving force behind PG&E’s rollout of Automated Utility Design (AUD), a tool that integrates engineering rules, design standards, and materials pricing directly into the design process. According to Fulks, AUD is now about one-third deployed across the organization and on a “hockey stick ramp” of training and adoption.
From Manual Prints to Automated Standards
Traditionally, construction crews depended heavily on the skills and style of individual designers. Some prints were works of clarity, while others required frustrating levels of interpretation in the field.
“When it’s a very human process to make the design, it is a very human result. Some are great. Some not so great. What Automated Utility Design allowed us to do is standardize that output…best practices become the standard. And that is the only thing you produce, best practice design-wise.” Fulks explained.
AUD reduces redesign cycle times by embedding calculations and validation checks into the workflow. The program flags issues such as transformer placement or voltage drop before a design reaches the field. It also generates accurate bills of materials on the fly, so estimates stay consistent and reliable.
Impact on Construction Efficiency
For those in the field, the benefits are clear.
“When you get the Van Gogh of prints every time, that is going to have a program-level impact on the efficiency of your construction,” Fulks emphasized.
The efficiency gains are real: faster redesigns, fewer errors, and consistent outputs that help construction crews work more efficiently under challenging conditions.
Looking Ahead
With AUD becoming a core part of PG&E’s process, the utility is building not just for today’s projects but for a future where agility, consistency, and efficiency will be critical to meeting California’s energy needs.
“Best practices become the standard.”
That is a simple phrase, but one that captures the transformative promise of AUD at PG&E.
You can watch the full discussion, Undergrounding at Scale: PG&E’s Innovations and Lessons Learned, on T&D World’s website