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Project(s): View 8 related projects in PECWeb
Plant(s): View 8 related plants in PECWeb
Released February 23, 2018 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--PPL Corporation (NYSE:PPL) (Allentown, Pennsylvania) plans to invest more than $15.4 billion from 2018 through 2022 in capital projects, which is slightly higher that what the company previously had estimated, largely due to more transmission and distribution (T&D) work in Pennsylvania. The company, which runs utilities in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and the U.K., saw an overall dip in 2017 sales from milder-than-expected weather. Industrial Info is tracking $1.89 billion in active projects involving PPL.
PPL's Kentucky businesses accounted for much of the decline in revenues and profits, as it incurred lower sales volumes due to mild weather in the summer and early winter, and higher depreciation expenses. In November, Kentucky Utilities (Lexington, Kentucky), a subsidiary of PPL, announced it would close units 1 and 2 at the E.W. Brown Power Station in February 2019. The units have a combined generating capacity of about 272 megawatts (MW); Unit 3, with 409 MW of capacity, will continue operating. For more information, see Industrial Info's plant profile and November 30, 2017, article - Kentucky to Lose Two More Coal-Fired Units.
Louisville Gas & Electric Company (LG&E) (Louisville, Kentucky), another subsidiary, is at work on the $183 million closure of an ash pond near the Trimble County Power Station in Bedford, Kentucky. Coal ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power generation that also is called coal combustion residual (CCR), normally is stored on site in "ponds." But regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have forced the closure of these facilities. Earlier this year, Kentucky regulators approved a landfill to store the waste, but the idea has run into fierce resistance from residents who do not want the landfill near their property. The ash pond closure is not expected to wrap up until 2023.
The EPA's regulations on CCR also necessitated LG&E's $95 million ash-handling project at the Trimble County plant. The project involves switching the station's CCR processing from a wet system to a closed-pipe dry conveyor system, making the process more environmentally efficient. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the ash pond closure and ash-handling system.
This spring, LG&E also is planning a $114 million wastewater treatment system at the Mill Creek Power Station in Louisville, where it plans to close the coal ash pond by December 2021. The new, wet flue-gas desulfurization system is intended to comply with Clean Water Act regulations, which require an enhancement in the treatment of wastewater at Mill Creek by 2022. It will handle selenium, mercury, and other heavy metals outlined in the EPAs Effluent Liquids Guideline. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
"In January of this year, we announced a new goal to cut the company's carbon dioxide emissions 70% from 2010 levels by the year 2050," said William Spence, the chief executive officer of PPL, in an earnings-related conference call. We expect to achieve these reductions by economically replacing Kentucky coal-fired generation over time with a mix of renewables and natural gas, improving our energy efficiency, reducing substation greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting vehicle fleet emissions."
Pennsylvania T&D Drives Capex Boost
PPL's Pennsylvania businesses benefited from higher transmission earnings and lower operational and maintenance expenses in 2017. The corporation's $15.4 billion in estimated capital spending over the next five years is roughly $180 million higher than what had been predicted in 2017 for the same period, primarily driven by an increase in T&D spending in Pennsylvania.
Among the largest PPL projects in the state is the $338 million Northern Lehigh Reliability Project, which involves rebuilding about 43 miles of power lines and upgrading several substations. The power line segments include:
Another of PPL's transmission projects in Pennsylvania is under construction and set to be completed this summer: the $109.5 million Susquehanna-Jenkins transmission line rebuild, which will replace 24.4 miles of aging power lines from the Susquehanna Substation in Berwick to the Jenkins Substation in Luzerne. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
PPL's Kentucky businesses accounted for much of the decline in revenues and profits, as it incurred lower sales volumes due to mild weather in the summer and early winter, and higher depreciation expenses. In November, Kentucky Utilities (Lexington, Kentucky), a subsidiary of PPL, announced it would close units 1 and 2 at the E.W. Brown Power Station in February 2019. The units have a combined generating capacity of about 272 megawatts (MW); Unit 3, with 409 MW of capacity, will continue operating. For more information, see Industrial Info's plant profile and November 30, 2017, article - Kentucky to Lose Two More Coal-Fired Units.
Louisville Gas & Electric Company (LG&E) (Louisville, Kentucky), another subsidiary, is at work on the $183 million closure of an ash pond near the Trimble County Power Station in Bedford, Kentucky. Coal ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power generation that also is called coal combustion residual (CCR), normally is stored on site in "ponds." But regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have forced the closure of these facilities. Earlier this year, Kentucky regulators approved a landfill to store the waste, but the idea has run into fierce resistance from residents who do not want the landfill near their property. The ash pond closure is not expected to wrap up until 2023.
The EPA's regulations on CCR also necessitated LG&E's $95 million ash-handling project at the Trimble County plant. The project involves switching the station's CCR processing from a wet system to a closed-pipe dry conveyor system, making the process more environmentally efficient. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the ash pond closure and ash-handling system.
This spring, LG&E also is planning a $114 million wastewater treatment system at the Mill Creek Power Station in Louisville, where it plans to close the coal ash pond by December 2021. The new, wet flue-gas desulfurization system is intended to comply with Clean Water Act regulations, which require an enhancement in the treatment of wastewater at Mill Creek by 2022. It will handle selenium, mercury, and other heavy metals outlined in the EPAs Effluent Liquids Guideline. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
"In January of this year, we announced a new goal to cut the company's carbon dioxide emissions 70% from 2010 levels by the year 2050," said William Spence, the chief executive officer of PPL, in an earnings-related conference call. We expect to achieve these reductions by economically replacing Kentucky coal-fired generation over time with a mix of renewables and natural gas, improving our energy efficiency, reducing substation greenhouse gas emissions, and cutting vehicle fleet emissions."
Pennsylvania T&D Drives Capex Boost
PPL's Pennsylvania businesses benefited from higher transmission earnings and lower operational and maintenance expenses in 2017. The corporation's $15.4 billion in estimated capital spending over the next five years is roughly $180 million higher than what had been predicted in 2017 for the same period, primarily driven by an increase in T&D spending in Pennsylvania.
Among the largest PPL projects in the state is the $338 million Northern Lehigh Reliability Project, which involves rebuilding about 43 miles of power lines and upgrading several substations. The power line segments include:
- $25 million Siegfried-Wescosville section rebuild, running 12 miles from the Siegfried Substation in Northampton to the Wescosville Substation in Allentown; see project report
- $15 million Wescosville-Breinigsville section rebuild, running five miles from the Wescosville Substation in Allentown to the Breinigsville Substation in Breinigsville; see project report
- $18 million Breinigsville-Alburtis section rebuild, running six miles from the Breinigsville Substation in Breinigsville to the Alburtis Substation in Macungie; see project report
- $55 million Alburtis-Quarry section rebuild, running 20 miles from the Alburtis Substation in Macungie to the Quarry Substation in Bethlehem; see project report
Another of PPL's transmission projects in Pennsylvania is under construction and set to be completed this summer: the $109.5 million Susquehanna-Jenkins transmission line rebuild, which will replace 24.4 miles of aging power lines from the Susquehanna Substation in Berwick to the Jenkins Substation in Luzerne. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.
