PUC Adds Dec. 18 Hearing In Wilkes-Barre On Proposed PPL 7% Rate Increase; Other Hearings Start Dec. 8

On December 5, the Public Utility Commission announced the scheduling of an additional in-person hearing on Thursday, December 18, 2025, to gather public input on the proposed 7% rate increase proposed by PPL Electric Utilities.  

With this additional hearing, the PUC will now be holding seven in-person and telephonic hearings to gather public input on PPL’s $356.3 million rate increase request.

The other hearings will be held December 8, 9, 10, 11 and 15. Click Here for the times and locations.

PPL provides electric distribution services to approximately 1.5 million residential and business customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania.

The hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Wilkes University, Henry Student Center, Jean and Paul Adams Commons (JPAC Room) – 2nd Floor, 84 West South Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766

Individuals planning to testify on December 18 and wishing to refer to hearing exhibits during their testimony should email them to Legal Assistant Pamela McNeal at pmcneal@pa.gov  by noon on Monday, December 15, 2025.  

The PUC Judge will forward the exhibits to all parties.

Documents related to this case are available at PUC Docket No. R-2025-3057164.

Click Here for the PUC announcement.

Resource Links - Energy Affordability/Reliability:

-- PJM Market Monitor Files Complaint With FERC Saying PJM Is Proposing To Allow A.I. Data Centers To Connect To Grid That It Cannot Reliably Serve, Will Require Blackouts To Maintain Service  [PaEN]

-- PUC: Most PA Electric Utility Consumers To See 3.7% To 10.6% Increase In Electricity Prices During The Next 3 Months Starting Dec. 1  [PaEN] 

-- PUC Chairman Highlights 'Extraordinary Challenges' Pennsylvania Families Are Facing This Winter With Energy Bills And His Appreciation For Groups Providing Assistance  [PaEN]

-- Data Center Stampede Trampling PA Ratepayers Part III:  PJM Market Monitor - Data Centers Have Cost Existing Ratepayers $16.6 Billion Already; Centers Should Bring Their Own Power Generation To Prevent More Large Price Spikes  [PaEN] 

-- Data Center Stampede Trampling PA Ratepayers Part I:  PA Utility Law Project - Utility Terminations Up 30% Already; Prioritize Existing Loads; Centers Need To Help Pay For Utility Assistance  [PaEN] 

-- Data Center Stampede Trampling PA Ratepayers Part II: PA Consumer Advocate - PUC Should Set Conditions For Centers To Be Served By The Grid; Set Power Curtailment Priorities [PaEN]

-- NRDC: PJM Grid Members Fail To Recommend Any Of 12 Proposals To Prevent Existing Electric Ratepayers From Bearing The Costs, Reliability Risk Of Soaring A.I. Data Center Energy Demand  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Electric Auction Impacts: 1 In 5 PA Households Report Problems Now Paying Energy Bills; Electric Utility Shutoffs Up 38.1% So Far This Year  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Electricity Auction: PJM Lost 2.8 Gigawatts Of Power Due To Reduced Reliability Rating Of Natural Gas Power Plants; Could Gain 12.2 Gigawatts By Increasing Reliability From Less Than 75% Now To An Achievable 90%  [PaEN] 

Related Articles This Week:

-- On The Eve Of New PJM Capacity Auction: Gov. Shapiro, 5 Other Governors Say PJM's Efforts To Deal With A.I. Data Center Demands Have Failed; Urge 'Decisive Action' To Avoid 'Extraordinarily’ High Prices  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection 2027/28 Electricity Capacity Auction Now Open Thru Dec. 10; Results Reported Dec. 17

-- PUC Approves Reduced Columbia Gas Rate Hike Of 6.05%, And A Per Month Residential Customer Charge Increase Of 33%  [PaEN] 

-- Independent Fiscal Office: Quarterly PA Natural Gas Production Up 5.1% From Last Year; Natural Gas Price Up 51.4%  [PaEN] 

-- Pennsylvania Solar Center, Philadelphia Energy Authority Host Dec. 12 Webinar On How Nonprofits, Schools, Faith Groups, Municipalities Can Use Federal Incentives To Go Solar  [PaEN] 

-- Penn State Dec. 8 EarthTalk: PA State Geologist Gale Blackmer Sees 'Promising Opportunities' For Critical Minerals Production  [PaEN] 

NewsClips:

-- WESA - Rachel McDevitt: Pittsburgh, Western PA Electric Rates Increasing Dec. 1; Here’s What To Do If You Can’t Pay

-- PennLive Letter: The Hidden Price Of A.I. - Your Electric Bill - By Tom McCarey, Berwyn, PA

-- Utility Dive: FERC Urged To Reject American Electric Power Request To Join PJM’s December Capacity Auction With 750 MW Of Generation For A.I. Data Centers That Did Not Materialize 

-- The Guardian: Cooking With Natural Gas Gets More Expensive As Americans Face Rising Prices Into 2026: 4% For Residential Users, 21% For Industrial, 37% For Power Generators 

-- NYTimes: The Political Shocks Of A.I. Data Centers, Electric Bills: ‘The New Price Of Eggs’ [PDF of Article]

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: Gaslighting On Economy Won’t Warm Lancaster County Residents This Holiday Season And Winter [President’s Tariffs, Surging Electricity, Natural Gas Prices] [PDF of Article] 

-- TribLive Guest Essay: Rural PA’s A.I. Data Center Mirage - Appalachian Communities In PA Know The Feeling Of Being Promised The World And Being Left With The Bill - By Panini A. Chowdhury, Professional Infrastructure Planner 

-- PA Capital-Star: Watchdog For PJM Electric Grid Wants A Pause On A.I. Data Centers

-- PA Capital-Star: PA’s Home Repair, Energy Efficiency Program Left Out Of State Budget Despite High Demand

-- Reuters: President’s Push For More A.I. Data Centers Faces Backlash From His Own Voters [PA Highlighted]  

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: PJM Must Stop Buying Power Capacity For New A.I. Data Centers, They Need To Bring Their Own Capacity - By Tom Rutigliano and Claire Lang-Ree, Natural Resources Defense Council

-- Utility Dive Guest Essay: The Fastest, Most Affordable Path To Electric Grid Resilience Is To Maximize Distributed Energy Resources Already In Homes, Businesses And Incentivizing More Installations - By Hannah Bascom, Uplight

-- Forbes: Facing US Electricity Shortfall Crisis Years Unfolding

[Posted: December 6, 2025]  PA Environment Digest