SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Petra, the first company capable of undergrounding critical utility infrastructure from difficult hard rock to soft ground geologies, announced the acquisition of Zilper Trenchless, a pioneer in the trenchless technology space. Zilper Trenchless machines uniquely install critical utility infrastructure through nightmare geologies such as flowing sands, cobbles, and high water table environments. The vast majority of the world’s electric, water, and sewer utilities were not designed to withstand the storms, extreme heat, and drought brought on by climate change and rapid population growth. Above-ground power lines have caused thousands of wildfires in drought prone areas and blackouts during hurricanes. In coastal areas, increased flooding and sea level rise cause sewage to leach into waterways. There is a growing demand by municipalities to expand underground utilities, but in many populated areas with hard and soft ground nightmare geologies, conventional technology has difficulty boring through flowing sand, high water table content, and cobbles. According to the Black & Veatch 2022 Water Report, the United States would need to increase its investment in water infrastructure by $2.2 trillion over the next 20 years, or roughly $109 billion per year to close the water industry’s current investment gap

Zilper, a pioneer in the trenchless technology space, will merge with Petra, the first company capable of undergrounding critical utility infrastructure through nightmare hard rock geologies.