Pennsylvania Electric Utility PPL Chooses New Power Line Route

Some residential and commercial electric customers in northeast Pennsylvania and the Poconos are expected to get improved electric service from a new power line that PPL Electric Utilities has decided to route through the region.

PPL said in a news release that it had considered public input and studied the region carefully before making its decision on where to route the line. According to The News Eagle, the route selected by the utility:

” connects the new Paupack substation site near Lakeville, along a zig-zag course southwest in Paupack and Salem townships, between Route 590 and Lake Wallenpaupack. It rounds west of Ledgedale and west of Newfoundland and heads west through Sterling Township into Lackawanna County meeting the new North Pocono substation. It then goes southwest to the new West Pocono substation near the Luzerne/Monroe county line west of Pocono Pines. Finally, it veers northwest through Luzerne County to the existing Jenkins substation near Wilkes-Barre. The existing transmission lines from Jessup to Honesdale will be rebuilt, and a small section from Cherry Ridge to Lakeville will receive additional wires.”

According to David Bonenberger, general manager of transmission operations for PPL, the new facilities are designed to reduce the number of power outages experienced by customers in the region and reduce the duration of outages caused by severe weather and falling trees.

Bonenberger said that, in choosing the location for the main 230-kilovolt power line and subsidiary 69-kilovolt power lines needed for the project, the electric utility conducted a months-long study of the region and conducted an extensive public input process to try and minimize impacts on people and the environment to the extent possible.

Bonenberger added that the region’s growth made the addition of new lines and power substations mandatory in order to deliver reliable electricity to homes and businesses. However, he said the utility would attend additional public open houses to take comments on the chosen route before submitting required applications to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the state’s utility regulator, for approval.

Detailed information about the project, including the location of the routes for new power lines and the location of new substations, has been mailed to property owners. The new facilities and can also be found online at www.pplreliablepower.com/Northeast-Pocono.

The new power lines and substations are expected to serve 250,000 electric customers in parts of Lackawanna, Monroe, Wayne, Pike, and Luzerne counties. The project is part of more than $3 billion in infrastructure improvements that PPL is making throughout its 29-county territory.

Sources

PPL Electric Utilities Chooses Route for New Power Line, The News Eagle, Oct. 17, 2011.

PPL Electric Utilities Chooses Route for New Power Line in Northeast Pennsylvania and Pocono Region, PPL Electric Utilities press release, Oct. 11, 2011.