News Releases

Residents and businesses in North and South Manheim townships in Schuylkill County will benefit from improved power reliability and fewer outages with system upgrades being made by PPL Electric Utilities.

The utility recently invested $930,000 to upgrade potions of its local distribution system, rebuilding four miles of aerial lines along Routes 183 and 895, in addition to replacement of electrical equipment, such as fuses, transformers and lightning arrestors. A new line also will connect PPL Electric’s Cressona and Auburn substations, which serve as the power hubs for the townships. The tie will allow the utility greater operational flexibility.

In 2012, PPL Electric Utilities plans to invest another $1.2 million with work beginning in March to upgrade the Cressona substation in North Manheim. A new circuit will be installed along Morning Side Drive and Route 183. This will reduce the number of customers served by four local distribution circuits and the likelihood of power outages.

Also, system switches will be installed that can be remotely operated from PPL Electric Utilities’ system operation center. This automated devices will allow operators to isolate trouble, like a vehicle accident or downed trees on overhead power lines, and transfer customers onto a different circuit, speeding the restoration of service in case of an outage.

“These are significant investments that will benefit our local customers with more reliable electric service. We are always reviewing our operations and reliability performance, and we’re pleased to move forward with these system upgrades,” said Frank Gaida, regional operations director, PPL Electric Utilities.

The project is part of a greatly expanded capital investment program to strengthen, upgrade and modernize the electric delivery system, funded with $450 million this year and $3.4 billion over five years. For more information on the utility’s reliability programs, system improvements, and major projects, visit www.pplreliablepower.com.