In a significant move that could reshape the landscape of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, PPL Corp. has entered into agreements to purchase over 11 square miles of land, including a crucial source of public drinking water, for the potential development of at least two massive power plants intended to support data centers. The joint venture, involving PPL Corp. and Blackstone Infrastructure, has already signed agreements to purchase nearly 7,200 acres across several Lackawanna County towns, coinciding with the filing of requests to add 2.25 gigawatts of natural gas power plants to the county's energy grid.
The proposed locations for these power plants remain unclear, although the timing of the land purchases and the power plant requests have sparked immediate opposition from local residents and officials. The land deal includes areas bordering the Brownell Reservoir in Carbondale Twp., which supplies 2 million gallons of drinking water daily to surrounding communities. This has led to strong backlash from opponents who fear the potential environmental and health risks associated with such a development.
Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan, a vocal critic of data center developments, expressed his concerns, stating, "I see people's homes. I see the mountains that belong to generations that haven't even been born yet, and I am absolutely furious. Our county should not be offered up as the sacrificial lamb of the AI revolution that is occurring in this country, and it's absolutely disgraceful what's happening here."
Despite the opposition, PPL Corp. spokesman Ryan Hill confirmed that the venture has secured the rights to purchase land in Lackawanna County to evaluate its suitability for power generation for data centers. He emphasized, however, that acquiring large swaths of land does not equate to immediate development, explaining that the benefit of having large sites is the flexibility they provide for setbacks, buffers, open space, and green space considerations.
Over the past year-and-a-half, Lackawanna County has become a hotbed for speculative data center development, with around 90 proposed data centers. While some developers have scaled back their plans, the county's potential as a hub for data center infrastructure remains significant. The PPL Corp. and Blackstone Infrastructure joint venture now appears poised to capitalize on this trend, potentially fueling data centers with power plants in northern Lackawanna County.
The joint venture has also made a substantial investment in Luzerne County, purchasing over 500 acres for $40.4 million and filing for two natural gas power plants with outputs of 1,500 and 750 megawatts. These projects are part of a larger strategy to support the growing demand for data center power, a demand that Gaughan argues is exploiting the county's resources without considering the long-term impacts.
PPL Corp. has reassured the public that the joint venture will not proceed with a power plant unless they have a signed agreement with a large customer. The first step is to sign a long-term agreement with a data center. Hill also emphasized the company's commitment to engaging transparently with local officials, stakeholders, and the community, focusing on delivering reliability, affordability, and local benefits.
Despite the preliminary nature of the developments, concerns remain about the timing of the power plant requests and the land purchases, particularly in light of the proposed "west campus" in Carbondale Twp. and the "east campus" stretching from Archbald to the Brownell Reservoir. The 1,500-megawatt plant is set for an in-service date of Jan. 1, 2033, while the 750-megawatt plant is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2034.
The future of Lackawanna County's energy landscape is now in the balance, with a "real reckoning," as Gaughan describes it, looming on the horizon. As the debate continues, the county's residents, officials, and developers will have to weigh the potential economic benefits against the environmental and social risks associated with the proposed data center power plants.
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