Electricity transmission expansion plans include swaths of land in Indiana County

PJM, an independent system operator, has included "Proposal 237" in its 2025 Regional Transmission Expansion Plan. This project, involving two unnamed major power companies, aims to significantly increase electricity transmission capacity through Indiana County, Pennsylvania. The expansion is deemed necessary to address the escalating energy demands stemming from the state's "data center alley." PPL Corporation, an electric servicer, anticipates a potential 3-gigawatt power shortage should proposed data centers within its service area commence operations. The need for increased capacity is further exacerbated by canceled generation projects, such as a New Jersey offshore wind development that would have provided 1.3 gigawatts. The Trump administration canceled an agreement with French energy company TotalEnergies for nearly $1 billion in funding for offshore wind power, citing it as "unreliable and unaffordable."