News Releases

The second of two 150-ton turbine runner assemblies for the expansion project at PPL Holtwood is scheduled to begin its journey Wednesday  (4/4) from the Voith Hydro facility in West York to the hydroelectric plant. It will follow the same slow-moving, four-day route that was used in February for the shipment of the first turbine runner assembly.

“The equipment will be transported on the same detailed 35-mile route, which was developed to safely transport the first runner assembly and minimize the impact on local traffic,” said John M. Levitski, PPL’s regional community relations director. “This second shipment marks another key step in the $440 million expansion of PPL’s Holtwood hydroelectric plant on the lower Susquehanna River.”

Incorporating the lessons learned from the February delivery of the first runner assembly, it will take about four days to safely transport the runner. Escorted by state police, the 24-foot-wide tractor-trailer will be traveling at about 4 mph between 7:15 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Signs and traffic-control personnel will be stationed along the road to alert motorists about potential delays and direct traffic through local detours around the tractor-trailer.

The journey begins on state Route 182 southbound to state Route 74 south, crossing the Susquehanna River into Lancaster County on the Route 372 Norman Wood Bridge to Pinnacle Road.

Before crossing the bridge, the runner assembly will be transferred to another trailer, which is nearly twice as long as the first, to better distribute the weight of the heavy load. After crossing the bridge, the load will be transferred back to the original trailer for the final leg of the journey. The runner assembly, which will be parked off Pinnacle Road on Saturday (4/7), is expected to arrive at PPL Holtwood on April 9.

The runner is a key part of the Holtwood expansion project, which includes the construction of a second powerhouse and the addition of two units that will generate an additional 125 megawatts of electricity, more than doubling the plant’s existing generating capacity of 108 megawatts. The project is about 60 percent complete.

“When the project is completed next year, Holtwood will have added enough renewable energy to power 100,000 typical homes, bringing more clean, reliable energy to provide the electricity that powers our lives,” Levitski said.

PPL Holtwood is one of PPL Corporation’s generating affiliates. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), through its affiliates, owns or controls about 19,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets, and delivers electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the United States and the United Kingdom. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.