BOB ROLLEY/FOR THE EXPRESS
Shown at the recent meeting, from left, are Mike Flanagan, CEO of the Clinton County Economic Partnership and August Kiwanis program chair; Howe; Michele Tagliaferri, the newest club member; Melissa Bottorf, club vice president, and Joe Waltz, club president.
LOCK HAVEN — PPL Electric Utilities is making significant investments in the electrical grid within its 29-county territory of central and eastern Pennsylvania.
Indeed, the utility will ultimately spend $3.9 billion in Pennsylvania to upgrade lines, poles and related equipment, according to Jonah Howe, PPL’s regional affairs director who was a recent guest speaker before the Kiwanis Club of Lock Haven.
Interestingly, Howe said that, while electricity demand is rising in Pennsylvania, supply is not. Many thermal energy plants are retiring, and the number of new power generation facilities capable of meeting the rising demand have been slow to develop, he said.
Howe, a Wellsboro native, joined PPL in his current capacity serving the Susquehanna Region in 2023. He provides outreach, and connects stakeholders to customer service, philanthropic and economic development resources.
PPL Electric Utilities has 1.5 million customers in Pennsylvania and maintains 50,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines with 1,600 employees and various contractors, Howe noted. He promoted the PPL Foundation, which has three grant rounds each year covering equity, empowering communities and education.
Importantly, he said PPL has not raised electrical delivery rates since 2015 but acknowledged that supply market rates have fluctuated throughout that time, impacting customers.
Upcoming speakers at Lock Haven Kiwanis include Doug Hartman of DMI International (gas industry) Aug. 8; Jared Dressler, DEP regional director, Aug. 15, and Sean Krieger, RealtyLease Properties, Aug. 22. The club meets most Thursdays at noon at the Sons and Daughters of Italy (third floor) on Henderson Street.