Install 500kV Transmission Lines through Northeast PA

This proposal involves running high voltage transmission lines rated at 500 kilovolts through Luzerne and Lackawanna counties to support the power needs of expanding data centers and industrial parks in the region. Local residents have proposed stricter environmental reviews before the project is allowed to proceed, citing concerns about electromagnetic field exposure, property value impacts, and disruption of rural landscapes. The proposed route spans approximately 42 miles and would require new right-of-way easements across an estimated 180 private parcels, many of which are agricultural or residential properties. PPL Electric Utilities has stated that the transmission capacity is necessary to meet a projected 35 percent increase in regional power demand over the next decade, driven largely by hyperscale data center construction near the Humboldt Industrial Park. The project has an estimated cost of $1.2 billion and would connect to PJM Interconnection’s broader mid-Atlantic grid, potentially reducing congestion pricing that currently raises electricity costs for Northeast Pennsylvania ratepayers. Environmental advocacy groups including the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania chapter have requested a full Environmental Impact Statement rather than the less rigorous Environmental Assessment that PPL initially proposed. Township supervisors in several affected municipalities have passed resolutions opposing the current route and requesting that PPL evaluate alternative corridors along existing highway and railroad rights-of-way. PPL has offered a community benefit package that includes property tax equivalency payments to host municipalities, a $5 million fund for local infrastructure improvements, and vegetation screening for residences within 500 feet of the line. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission must approve the project under its siting authority, and public hearings are scheduled for early 2026 in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Supporters including the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce argue that without new transmission capacity, the region will lose economic development opportunities to competing sites in Virginia and Ohio. Opponents have organized under the banner of the Northeast PA Landowners Coalition and have retained legal counsel to challenge the necessity determination. If approved, construction would take approximately three years, with the line projected to be energized by 2029.