Allentown, Pa.-based PPL Electric Utilities has submitted its Northeast-Pocono Reliability Project to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) for approval.
The project will involve construction of three new electrical substations and a new 230 kV power line, and it will aim to improve electric service for 250,000 people in northeast Pennsylvania and the Poconos.
PPL says the project is necessary because electricity use in the region has been increasing for decades and because the existing network of 69 kV power lines in the area are no longer adequate to serve customer needs. These lines are up to 40 miles long, exposing customers to more frequent and longer service outages if lines are damaged during storms, PPL explains.
The new power line will be about 58 miles long and will connect the new electrical substations to the existing high-voltage grid. The project, which will cost approximately $200 million, will serve customers in parts of Lackawanna, Monroe, Wayne, Pike, Carbon and Luzerne counties.
The PUC review process generally takes about one year, during which there are opportunities for additional public input, PPL adds.
