PPL mulling high voltage lines through Ringtown Valley, potentially Shenandoah area
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL FILE - Power lines in the Frackville area.
SHEPPTON – The next 500kV high voltage line could be through the Ringtown and Mahanoy valleys, a discussion at the East Union Township Supervisors meeting this week revealed.
Supervisors discussed a letter received by Supervisor Jill Careyva outlining plans for a 500kV pole line from the Humboldt Industrial Park west between Sheppton and Oneida to a potential substation in the Zion Grove area.
“It’s approximately 11.5 miles of greenfield right-of-way intended for future use,” Supervisors Vice-Chairwoman Wendy Danchision said, reading from a PPL letter. “We are seeking 200-foot wide easements.”
“That’s what the people in Sugarloaf are fighting,” Solicitor Donald Karpowich said.
“They’re looking at expanding a right-of-way through the Humboldt/Sheppton/Oneida corridor to connect with an existing right-of-way,” Supervisors Chairman Kyle Mummey said of what he understood of the plans. “There’s no specific construction timeline, they’re just looking at the right-of-way discussion and getting the easements from property owners.”
“It could be years from now,” Careyva said.
“We have very limited, or really, no control over PPL’s right-of-way discussions,” Mummey added.
Supervisors shared a map of the proposed route from a potential new substation on the far east end of the Humboldt Industrial Park to the potential substation just north of Melanie Manor near Ringtown.
The route bisects the lower portion of the Humboldt Industrial Park, passes between Sheppton and Oneida and through former mine land atop Green Mountain.
Supervisors plan to review their zoning map and ordinance in response to the development.
In a statement to the Sentinel, PPL said it is “evaluating a new transmission right-of-way corridor from Zion Grove to the Slykerville area.” Slykerville is midway between Hazleton and Kelayres.
“This is part of our future use planning to maintain regional reliability and resiliency for customers,” a PPL spokesperson told the Sentinel. “Acquiring right-of-way corridors for future use is part of our normal transmission planning process and the work in this area isn’t tied to a confirmed project currently.”
“If a project is approved, we will engage with the community and stakeholders and offer opportunities for dialogue and feedback,” they added.
Further details were not provided by PPL, though filings with PJM Interconnection shed light on the potential project and ramifications beyond the Ringtown Valley.
An August filing with PJM Interconnection, which manages the electric grid for the Mid-Atlantic region, describes a new 60-mile Sunbury-Kelayres 500 kV line.
The line would be constructed in an existing right-of-way from Sunbury to Frackville.
“Beyond Frackville, the line will be a greenfield line the remaining length of the route (~22 miles) to Kelayres. Approximately 50% of the 22 mile segment will be on Developer future-use ROW,” the filing reads, matching the figure Danchision read in the letter.
The filing notes that the route follows future use right-of-way to the Zion Grove area. The exact route is unclear, but would likely pass through the Shenandoah area.
“It then traverses east in new proposed ROW towards Kelayres in the Hazelton[sic] area,” the filing reads.
A separate August filing notes another 500kV line entering the Zion Grove area and presumably following the same route to the Humboldt Industrial Park. It also notes the Slykerville substation would be renamed as Kelayres.
The Sentinel asked PPL about any other lines planned to use the proposed Zion Grove substation. No such information was provided.
Construction of both projects are expected to begin in March of 2028, according to the filings.
The plans come as municipal leaders across the region grapple with massive data center plans from out-of-state firms, including in Hazle and New Castle townships.
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