Old Wires Worry Utilities

Wall Street Journal (subscription):

Even as a hot summer strains the electric-power grid, industry officials are growing worried they have underestimated another problem: decades-old underground cables and other gear prone to fail under stress...

Engineering experts now believe the nation is entering a period that could be marked by a dramatic increase in localized power outages unless considerably more is spent on replacing old and deteriorated lines. Replacing these old cables and equipment could add billions to utility spending