Comment by evilDagmar

These larger power-generation systems tend to be more efficient than smaller power-generation systems, not less, which should result in a cost decrease, not an increase.

Tennessee (for example) has fairly cheap electricity because the TVA uses a lot of hydroelectric, and since we have a ridiculous amount of rain and violent thunderstorms each year, every decade or two they build another hydroelectric dam and create a new lake, which generates more hydroelectric power (and a moderate increase in tourism/recreation). We don't have buried power lines (excepting in a very few places) but we've got a ton of redundant power substations and multiple transmission paths (because storms). The TVA and Corps of Engineers are kinda hardcore here otherwise the valley would flood about a quarter of the year and be sitting around in the dark for another quarter of the year.

Maintenance of the power transmission lines is paid for by the electrical customer as a part of paying for the electricity itself. This actually scales just fine. If your local electrical utility is not doing it this way, someone needs to explain to them how proper accounting works.

Calling a "hidden cost" is just a convenient way to say "We're making this up because we feel like it's right and we don't intend to show any proof."