PPL Corp. Boosts Capital Plan to $23B Amid Data Center Surge
PPL Corporation has increased its four-year capital investment plan by 15% to $23 billion, citing rising data center demand and the need for expanded transmission and grid hardening.
Speaking during an earnings call, Vincent Sorgi, president and CEO of PPL Corporation, said the company expects at least 10 GW of data center projects to be under electric supply agreements in Pennsylvania by the end of the first quarter. The total pipeline in the state stands at 25.2 GW, which Sorgi described as having a high probability of completion.
In Kentucky, subsidiaries Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities report an 8 GW data center pipeline, with roughly half considered highly active. An additional 1.1 GW of advanced manufacturing and other non-data center projects are also seeking interconnection.
To address growing demand for dedicated power supplies, a joint venture between PPL Corporation and Blackstone Infrastructure is securing land and natural gas capacity for potential new generation projects. The venture is in discussions with turbine suppliers including GE Vernova, Siemens Energy, and Mitsubishi Power, though no formal equipment reservations have been announced.
If adopted, a proposed reliability backstop mechanism within PJM Interconnection could procure 6–7 GW of new capacity, though company officials indicated it would not fully meet projected data center demand in PPL’s territory.
The expanded capital plan includes additional funding for transmission upgrades, grid hardening, and smart grid deployment in response to increased storm activity and extreme weather events.
Source: megaproject.com
