PPL Electric Utilities, headquartered in Allentown, announced a sweeping grid modernization initiative this week that will see more than $8 billion invested in infrastructure improvements across its 29-county Pennsylvania service territory between 2026 and 2029.
The utility serves approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses in eastern and central Pennsylvania and is one of the region’s major employers.
The company outlined plans for more than 55 large-scale grid strengthening projects in 2026 alone, along with expansion of its Smart Grid technology platform and proactive vegetation management along more than 4,750 miles of power lines.
Those types of investments helped contribute to a nearly 25% reduction in outages in 2025 compared to the prior year, PPL said.
“Reliability is the foundation of everything we do for our customers,” PPL Electric Utilities President Christine Martin said. “With nearly 47,000 miles of distribution lines and equipment aging across our system, these upgrades aren’t optional — they’re necessary to keep our communities safe, powered and prepared for the future.”
Key 2026 projects include replacing aging underground cables, upgrading overhead poles and wires with materials rated to withstand 100 mph winds, and relocating power line segments to reduce weather-related risk. The company said it is also expanding its Smart Grid device network, which detects and restores power in real time.
Martin emphasized that the multi-year capital plan is designed to balance reliability gains with long-term affordability.
“These investments not only help prevent outages, but ensure homes, businesses and critical services across our region can count on electricity being there when it matters most,” Martin said.
