News Releases

PPL Electric Utilities energized a new transmission line in Bucks and Lehigh counties Friday (6/21), improving the reliability of electric service for 50,000 homes and businesses throughout the region.

“We are making needed investments in infrastructure so our customers can continue to enjoy reliable and safe electric service,” said Stephanie Raymond, PPL’s Transmission and Substations vice president. “These new facilities – as well as the increased tree clearing we are doing along our lines – will have a huge benefit for our customers.”

The new 6.6-mile Coopersburg-Quakertown transmission line was built in Springfield and Richland townships in Bucks County and Upper Saucon Township in Lehigh County. It will serve customers in West Rockhill, Richland, Upper Saucon, Springfield, Bethlehem, Lower Saucon and Salisbury townships, as well as the boroughs of Quakertown, Perkasie and Coopersburg.

Raymond said the $15 million line will allow PPL to reroute power more quickly – including during devastating storms like Hurricane Sandy – reducing the number and duration of power outages.

A new, $24 million electrical substation also is part of the project. Under construction along Hickon Road in Springfield Township, the substation is expected to go into service around the end of this year.

The new substation and transmission line are among about 30 projects that will improve the electric delivery service for customers in the Lehigh Valley and Bucks-Montgomery county areas. This year, PPL Electric Utilities will invest nearly $1 billion to strengthen and modernize its transmission and distribution facilities across its 29-county service territory, the largest capital program in the utility’s history.

PPL Electric Utilities, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), provides electric 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.