Effort/Jonas/Sun Valley
Project Timeline
• First public open house held on April 13, 2009 to gather input from the public.
• PPL Electric Utilities announces line route May 13, 2009.
• Second open house scheduled for May 28, 2009, between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the West End Fire Company (Main Station), Route 715, Brodheadsville.
• PPL Electric Utilities is working to obtain necessary right of way for the transmission line route and will conduct a variety of environmental and engineering studies related to the project.
• The project was submitted to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission for approval in January 2010. We anticipate that the PUC approval process will take about 12 months.
• After PUC approval, construction will begin on this project.
• PPL expects the new substation and transmission line to be in service by November 2011.

Effort, Jonas and Sun Valley
Additional Details
A new substation and transmission line in the area of Effort, Jonas and Sun Valley in Chestnut Hill, Polk and Penn Forest townships will help ensure a safe, reliable supply of electricity to the area.

In recent years, increasing demand for energy in this area has begun to push the local electric delivery system to its limits. As a result, power lines here are overloaded and this project is required to address the problem.

A new substation will provide a needed additional source of electricity for people in this area, and an additional transmission line is needed to connect that substation to the electrical grid. This project will improve the reliability of the local power delivery system by reducing existing overloads.

Project Details

  • The new substation will step down power from 138 kilovolts to 12 kilovolts so it can be delivered to area homes and businesses.
  • The substation will be within a fenced area of 104 feet by 136 feet located on 2 to 3 acres of land.
  • The substation will contain one transformer and circuit breaker; a control shed; and various structures to support incoming transmission lines and new distribution lines.
  • PPL Electric Utilities plans to build about 5.7 miles of new 138-kilovolt transmission line to connect the new substation to PPL’s existing Siegfried to Jackson 138-kilovolt transmission line.
  • The new steel poles to support the new transmission line will be between 95-105 feet high.



Detailed description of line route

The route for the new transmission line would start at the existing Siegfried-Jackson 138-kilovolt transmission line about one-half mile north of the town of Effort, on the west side of Route 115.

The line would cross Pheasant Run Road from south to north and proceed north for about 2,000 feet. After turning west, the line would proceed for about 6,000 feet, generally paralleling Pheasant Run Road to the north and crossing Burger Hollow Road, then continuing west for another 3,000 feet before crossing New York Boulevard.

After crossing New York Boulevard, the line would turn northwest for about 1,000 feet before turning to the north.

The line would then head north toward Jonas Road for about 6,000 feet, before turning northwest for about 4,000 feet, generally paralleling Jonas Road to the south. Turning north again, the line would cross Jonas Road and proceed about 7,500 feet toward and up Pohopoco Mountain.

The line would end at a new substation built along the boundary of the Indian Mountain Lake community.

PPL Electric Utilities 2009