PPL’s request for approval involves building approximately 1.1 miles of new double-circuit 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission taps to connect the existing Susquehanna-Harwood #1 and #2 230 kV transmission lines to the new Tomhicken 230 kV Switchyard that are respectively located in Hazle Township, Luzerne County.
[The projects will serve the proposed Project Hazelnut A.I. data center campus and will be paid for by existing ratepayers. Read more here.]
The PUC public input hearings for this case will be held at the following times--
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
Hearing #1 will begin at 1:00 p.m.
Hearing #2 will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Both hearings will be held at the same location--
Penn State University – Hazleton Campus
Frank Kostos Building, Room #001
76 University Dr. Hazleton, PA 18202
PUC Administrative Law Judges Erin L. Gannon and John M. Coogan will preside over the hearings.
Registration
Registration to testify at a public input hearing is encouraged but not required.
If you wish to pre-register, contact the Office of Administrative Law Judge by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2026.
Those who pre-register and provide the information listed below will be called to testify at the hearing in the order in which they pre-register.
If you want to attend a public input hearing (without testifying), you do not need to pre-register.
To pre-register, please call the PUC Judges’ Legal Assistant at (717) 787-4972 or by email at sumjayakum@pa.gov and provide the following information: (1) your first and last name, (2) a phone number where you can be reached prior to the hearing if we need to contact you, and (3) your email address, if you have one.
Assistance with Pre-Registration
If you need assistance pre-registering to testify for a hearing, you may have someone register for you, but they will need to provide all the information listed above.
Additionally, if more than one person in your household would like to testify, one person may pre-register for other individuals in the same household, but we will need the information for each individual.
Hearing Exhibits
If you have any exhibits to which you will refer during the hearing, please email them to the Legal Assistant at sumjayakum@pa.gov.
The PUC Judges will forward your exhibits to all the parties. Exhibits must be received by the Legal Assistant by Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Requests for Interpreters
If you require an interpreter, please pre-register as soon as possible. If you register too close to the hearing date, we may not have enough time to arrange for an interpreter.
If you request an interpreter, we will make every reasonable effort to have one present. TTY-based Telecommunications Relay Service number for persons who are deaf or hearing-impaired is 711.
Questions
The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the interests of utility customers before the PUC.
If you have questions about the public input hearings or the Company’s application, please contact the OCA toll free at 1-800-684-6560 or by email at consumer@paoca.org.
Documents related to this proposal can be found at PUC Docket No.: A-2025-3059443.
Visit the PUC’s Transmission Lines webpage for background on how the PUC reviews transmission line proposals.
Click Here for a copy of the PUC announcement.
Related Articles This Week:
-- PA House Passes Bills To Establish Framework For Developing Clean, Safe Geothermal Energy, Advanced Transmission Line Technology, Retooling PA Energy Financing Authority [PaEN]
-- Environmental Advocates Urge Lawmakers To Pass Bills Giving PUC Authority To Regulate Data Centers, Prohibit Nondisclosure Agreements, Promote Clean Energy To Reduce Energy Costs [PaEN]
-- PA Solar Center: Learn How To Advocate For REAL Energy Independence For PA During Online Workshops June 8, 15 [PaEN]
NewsClips:
-- Spotlight PA: Shapiro Demands A Stop To ‘Excessive’ Electric, Natural Gas, Water Utility Rate Increases, But Has Little Authority To Force Change
-- LancasterOnline: PPL Electric Default Service Customers To See 1.5% Increase In What They Pay For Electricity They Use Starting June 1
-- TribLive Editorial: Rising Electric Bills Leave Pennsylvanians Powerless
-- PA Capital-Star: PJM Grid Manager Says Developers Are Proposing 220 GW Of New Power Projects [Decisions On Which Go Ahead Will Not Be Made Until Feb. 2028, Then They Have To Be Financed, Sited, Built]
-- Utility Dive: PA House Unanimously Passes Bill To Require Utilities To Incorporate Review Of Advanced Transmission Technology In Transmission Line Proposals
-- Utility Dive: North American Electric Reliability Corp. Issues Level 3 Alert, Mandates Action To Address Sudden A.I. Data Center Load Losses
[Posted: May 6, 2026] PA Environment Digest
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