To continue providing reliable electric service for its Pennsylvania customers - and to handle increasing customer demand that could otherwise lead to overloads and even blackouts on the regional power grid - PPL Electric Utilities is upgrading its transmission system with a new power line and seeking public comment on where it should be placed.

"Public input and understanding are an extremely important part of the process we will use to pick a route," said David E. Schleicher, vice president of Transmission. "We will consider all comments we receive before choosing a final route to propose to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for approval."

Eight public input workshops have been scheduled in communities near the three possible routes. Where practical, the possible routes follow paths of existing PPL Electric Utilities power lines or where the company owns property or property rights.

Property owners in a 1,000-foot corridor along each possible route have been mailed letters with details of the routes and an invitation to attend one of the workshops. All others who are interested also are welcome to attend a workshop of their choice, or to contact PPL Electric Utilities directly to make comments.

The independent regional electricity transmission organization, PJM Interconnection, has determined that this new 500-kV power line is needed between the Berwick area of Pennsylvania and the Roseland area of New Jersey. PJM oversees reliability planning for the grid and has assigned PPL Electric Utilities the responsibility to build the Pennsylvania portion of the line.

PJM has determined that if this upgrade to the electric delivery system is not made by May 2012, there is the potential for overloads on existing power lines. The danger is greatest during periods when demand is highest, such as the hottest days of summer or the coldest days of winter, or when other power lines or equipment are unavailable because of maintenance.

These overloads -- the result of steadily increasing demand for electricity without a corresponding increase in the number of power lines to carry it -- could lead to brownouts or blackouts for customers of PPL Electric Utilities and throughout the region.

PPL Electric Utilities has conducted an extensive study of eastern and northeastern Pennsylvania and selected three possible routes for the Pennsylvania portion of the line. A map of these routes can be found at www.pplreliablepower.com.

"As much as practical, each possible route we chose follows existing power lines or existing power line rights of way. Building in those areas would mean that this new line would have much less impact on nearby residents and on the environment," Schleicher said.

"We understand that this kind of work can cause concerns for nearby residents. We are being extremely careful to balance the need to build this project with our responsibility to care for the environment and to minimize the impact on nearby residents."

PPL is conducting an extensive public outreach and communications program about the new line, including full details on the project Web site, www.pplreliablepower.com; an electronic newsletter for those who subscribe; meetings with key newspaper editors and reporters around the region; advertisements in major papers to announce the locations of the public input workshops; and a special toll-free number for comments, 1-800-291-5403.

The cost of new regional power lines is shared by all electric customers in the PJM area, a region of 51 million people encompassing 13 states and the District of Columbia. The Pennsylvania portion of the line is projected to cost between $300 million and $500 million.

"As we always do, PPL Electric Utilities will make every effort to construct this power line -- on whichever route is chosen -- in an environmentally sensitive manner," Schleicher said. "We also will take into account all public comments and impacts before recommending a route to the PUC, which has authority over siting of power line routes in Pennsylvania."

Construction of the line will provide an economic boost to the region of at least $100 million over three years, along with creating 165 to 300 construction jobs during the period, according to an economic impact study conducted by the Penn State Workforce Education and Development Initiative Team.

PPL Electric Utilities expects to select a preferred route about a month after the public input sessions end, and expects to propose that route for approval to the PUC later this year. The PUC review process, which also includes input from the public, could take as long as a year.

"This power line truly is needed for our customers in Pennsylvania, and for electric customers throughout the region," said Schleicher. "We need to act now to strengthen the regional transmission grid before problems strike that can have a serious effect."

Schleicher pointed out that the regional blackout of 2003 -- which started with power line failures in Ohio -- spread as far as New York City, leaving nearly 50 million people without electricity. "Our electric delivery system, in Pennsylvania and throughout the region, is only as strong as its weakest link," he said.

"This project will help ensure that PPL Electric Utilities can continue its longstanding record of providing excellent and reliable electric service to customers in Pennsylvania, and will support continued reliability throughout the region," Schleicher said.