News Releases

PPL Electric Utilities today (10/8) announced the route for a new 69-kilovolt power line to improve service for customers in southeastern Lancaster County.

The new 8-mile line will provide an additional source of power to the area to improve reliability and accommodate future growth in electricity demand.

Potential routes for the new $13.6 million North Lancaster-Honey Brook power line were announced early this year and open houses were held in April and August to help gather public input. The line will run south from the utility’s planned North Lancaster substation off Route 625 in Bowmansville to an existing transmission line in the Churchtown area.

“This new power line, coupled with the planned Honey Brook–Twin Valley line and the planned North Lancaster substation, will reinforce the existing network of 69-kilovolt power lines in the region,” said Stephanie Raymond, general manager of Transmission and Substations for PPL Electric Utilities. “These investments are crucial to long-term reliability.”

PPL Electric Utilities will invest more than $50 million in improvements in the Lancaster region this year alone, in addition to the projects listed above. The company’s overall plan is to invest more than $3.6 billion from 2012 through 2016 in improvements across its entire service territory.

“We realize there is no perfect route for a new power line. The route we selected is based on intensive studies of the area and a lot of dialogue with residents and other stakeholders,” Raymond said. “It represents the best balance of a host of factors we’re required to consider.”

Construction is expected to start in summer 2015, with the line becoming operational in summer 2016. Further details can be found at the project website, pplreliablepower.com/lancasterregion.

An open house for property owners and residents to learn more about the project and the selected route is set for 6-8 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Fivepointville Fire Co., 1087 Dry Tavern Road, Denver, PA 17517.

Public input remains important. “We stand ready to address any questions about the project and we’ll continue to keep people informed each step of the way,” Raymond said.

The North Lancaster-Honey Brook project is the third phase of a planned three-phase improvement initiative in the Lancaster region that also includes the planned North Lancaster substation and the planned Honey Brook–Twin Valley line.

PPL Electric Utilities Corporation, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation, provides electricity delivery services to about 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania and consistently ranks among the best companies for customer service in the United States. More information is available at www.pplelectric.com.