wiredinUSA September 2014

Multi-state transmission line

PPL Corp is planning a 725-mile transmission system to bring energy from the Marcellus Shale natural gas fields to customers on the eastern seaboard. The 500kV linewould possibly span Pennsylvania and reach into New York, New Jersey and Maryland, at a cost of between $4 billion and $6 billion, and it could take over a decade to build. “We don’t have a specific per-megawatt-hour estimate right now, but our analysis shows consumers in these states would save hundreds of millions of dollars per year in power costs,” said PPL Electric Utilities spokesman Paul Wirth. A rough map produced by the company shows a line running from Pittsburgh through Pennsylvania’s rural northern tier and into the New York City region. A second line branches south

through the Susquehanna River corridor into Maryland, while a third spur runs through the Lehigh Valley and Pocono Mountains into central New Jersey. The project requires regulatory approval, and the company has begun the process with a submission to PJM Inter- connection, the regional coordinator for wholesale energy. Pennsylvania Public Utility spokeswoman Robin Tilley said her agency requires an application that specifies the cost and route and demonstrates it is the best option on a set of criteria that includes safety, environmental impact and effect on scenery, historic places, landscape and wildlife. If construction begins by 2017, PPL believes the work could be complete around 2023-2025.

wiredInUSA - September 2014 ir I - t r

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