Global exposure of electrical transmission and distribution networks to landscape fires reveals stark geographic inequality

Abstract The global energy transition depends on a vast expansion of electrical transmission and distribution networks, yet these same networks are increasingly exposed to intensifying fire regimes driven by more extreme fire-weather conditions. Fire represents not only a local hazard to infrastructure, but also a growing systemic risk to energy security, reliability, and equitable access. Despite this, the global extent and geography of fire exposure to electrical networks remain poorly quantified. Here we present the first global assessment of direct fire exposure across electrical transmission and distribution networks. We analyzed spatial intersections between more than 20 million individual landscape fire events and 3.6 million transmission and distribution line segments from 2001-2025. Globally, 11.55\% of all line segments were exposed to at least one landscape fire event, amounting to more than 2.3 million km of direct line exposure across 172 countries. We identify four distinct fire exposure regimes, revealing pronounced geographic inequalities: high-frequency exposure concentrated largely in Sub-Saharan Africa, exposure dominated by large fire sizes associated with episodic landscape fires, mixed exposure across much of the world, and a low-exposure baseline. In several Sub-Saharan African nations, fire exposure is routine rather than exceptional, with repeated exposure coinciding with low electricity access and limited adaptive capacity. Although the long-term implications of repeated national-scale exposure remain poorly quantified, widespread and frequent interactions between landscape fires and large fractions of electricity networks suggest elevated maintenance demands, increased operational challenges, and emerging risks for energy resilience under a changing climate. By identifying where electrical infrastructure is most exposed to landscape fires, our findings provide a global evidence base to inform resilience-focused investment priorities as electricity networks undergo the unprecedented expansion required to achieve net-zero emissions.