Pennsylvania’s Consumer Advocate Darryl Lawrence told residents from the Hazleton-area who are opposed to a 12-mile transmission line to expect a long fight.
“In my experience, it's not unusual at all for some of these cases to play out over a period of years,” he said.
State Senators Lynda Schlegel Culver and Dave Argall and State Reps. Dane Watro and Jamie Walsh held a public town hall with Lawrence’s office Tuesday to discuss PPL Electric Utilities’ Sugarloaf PPL 500-kilovolt Transmission Line Project. The almost-two hour meeting at Hazleton Area High School was held to inform residents of their rights and resources as a property owner. Around 100 people attended the meeting. Many submitted written questions for Lawrence, who then answered a selection of them.
PPL plans to construct the transmission line and two switch yards — which house electrical infrastructure — in southern Luzerne County using an existing right-of-way corridor to minimize environmental and community impact, according to the utility. The new electric capacity will provide additional power to the area to support future load growth due to business expansion, the utility said.
PPL also says multiple new customers have requested electric service to power their proposed site.
“I think everyone knows that the impetus for this project is at least one data center, potentially more,” Lawrence said.
NorthPoint Development plans to build a data center campus with 15 buildings in Luzerne County, according to documents presented to Luzerne County Council. The company calls it Project Hazelnut.
Data centers are large facilities that store rows of servers for computing purposes, like Artificial Intelligence. They require a tremendous amount of power and often water, which is used to cool the servers. The environmental impacts are driving residents’ concerns.
PPL anticipates electricity demand in the region to grow significantly — up to 16 times current levels by 2030, Shelby A. Linton-Keddie, Senior Director of Public & Regulatory Affairs PPL Electric Utilities, said in a letter dated Aug. 21 to Luzerne County Council.
“As you are aware, the greater Hazleton area continues to attract manufacturers and large power users,” the letter says.
PPL says the lines will be constructed in Nescopeck, Black Creek, Sugarloaf and Hazle townships. The Nescopeck Switchyard will be built in Nescopeck Twp. and the Tomhicken Switchyard in Hazle Twp.
Will utility customers pay more?
Lawrence was asked if residents rates will increase because of the project.
“When the application is filed, it will be of great interest to me and my office as to how PPL is going to propose to allocate these costs between the data center developer large loads and the rest of the electric system, which would be rate payers,” he said. “Some split is definitely going to land on PPL ratepayers.”
PPL said in a statement that “large load customers and data centers pay directly for necessary transmission upgrades that are only needed to serve their operation and any upgrades that provide reliability benefits to the broader system are spread among all customers.”
Connecting large load customers, like data centers, “helps lower the transmission component of energy bills for all customers,” the statement says.
Those customers pay more because of their energy usage.
“We are committed to keeping costs as low as possible for all customers, even while supporting large-scale industrial growth,” the statement says.
OCA’s involvement
The Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the interests of utility rate payers, who could ultimately bear the cost of any new lines, Lawrence said.
“The OCA’s focus of the transmission line is to ascertain whether there is a need for the transmission line, and if so, whether the project is the best alternative, considering all relevant facts,” he said. “The OCA will also evaluate and consider, among other things, technical issues in the company's proposal, compliance with applicable statutory regulatory standards and also the Constitution of Pennsylvania.”
Since it’s a PPL initiated project, the regional transmission-organization, PJM, is not involved and it’s considered a supplemental project, Lawrence said. PJM coordinates the movement of wholesale electric in 13 states, including Pennsylvania.
“Supplemental projects are completely the domain of Pennsylvania, meaning whether this project gets approved or does not get approved is completely up to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and the courts of Pennsylvania,” he said. “There is no federal involvement here.”
The project’s status
Before constructing any transmission lines in Pennsylvania, a utility company needs the approval of the state’s Public Utilities Commission. Lawrence said PPL is expected to file their application in October.
PPL anticipates construction will take around a year and a half. The proposed start date is spring 2026, with completion by fall 2027.
However, Lawrence said “it is a multi, multi-stage process.”
That can include site tours, testimonies, the discovery process and public hearings.
“Probably any case that the OCA gets involved with in the public utility sphere are the most highly charged, most emotional cases,” he said. “There are people who get extremely angry. They get extremely concerned. They're very upset about what's going on, and they want to tell somebody.”
What about eminent domain?
PPL says its application will seek authorization to use eminent domain. The law gives public utility companies the power to take private property for public projects.
The utility says “our first choice is always to negotiate and reach an amicable settlement" with property owners.
Under eminent domain, PPL would pay compensation determined by a certified appraiser’s fair market value analysis report, according to the utility.
OCA does not practice in the area of eminent domain, Lawrence said.
What will the line look like?
PPL says the dark-brown poles supporting the transmission line will be between 100 to 240-feet tall. The average height will be around 200 feet. The poles are also designed to be stronger and more weather-resistant.
PPL plans to utilize an existing 100-foot-wide right-of-way corridor and expand it to 200 feet to accommodate the new transmission line.
Residents options
Lawrence said the PUC could hold public hearings. He encouraged residents to attend those hearings and testify on the record.
Residents can also send a protest, which is a formal pleading, or a petition to intervene once PPL files its application.
“You will have a chance to have your voice heard, no matter how you decide to participate,” he said.
Lawrence’s presentation is available on Culver website at www.senatorculver.com/transmission-line-project-townhall/
