PECO Energy Company is seeking to build two major power lines in Montgomery County, a project that has been flagged by people who closely monitor data center  development and worry that the lines would support those facilities.

The Department of Environmental Protection posted a notice on Aug. 22 soliciting public comments on PECO’s permit application to install two 230 kV electric transmission lines along the Schuylkill River. The lines would cross into Upper Merion Township — where supervisors just rejected a hyperscale data center proposal — as well as Norristown Borough, Bridgeport Borough and West Norriton Township, according to the notice posted in DEP’s Pennsylvania Bulletin.

PECO plans to install three monopole structures on Barbadoes Island, which is situated in the Schuylkill between Norristown and King of Prussia.

State Sen. Katie Muth and DEP director of policy and communications David Hess reposted DEP’s notice, speculating that the PECO project will be built for data center development following a recent proposal in Upper Merion.

“It’s clear that the governor’s self-proclaimed most restrictive standards for [data centers] has a loophole to allow permit review to happen for power lines for [data center] customers despite local approval not being achieved,” she told the Local on Aug. 31.

PECO officials denied these claims the next day.

“They are not associated with a data center, another large-load project, or any specific customer,” a spokesperson for the company said in an email.

The transmission lines are part of PECO’s Forge Springs Substation project, an $84 million effort by PECO to build a new substation in Upper Merion after Hurricane Ida flooded the structure on Barbadoes Island in 2021, the spokesperson said. 

For the project, PECO plans to retire the Barbadoes Substation and build its replacement outside of the FEMA floodway, according to the project application provided by DEP. The transmission lines will connect the substation to the grid. PECO officials expect to complete the work in 2029. 

“The project is intended to strengthen the local electric grid to better withstand increasingly frequent and damaging storms, improve reliability by reducing the frequency and duration of outages, and support growing energy needs in the region,” the spokesperson said.

The substation would be built between the Dartmouth Hills residential neighborhood in King of Prussia and the Schuylkill River. PECO plans to first relocate a 10-inch natural gas pipeline to build the substation, as well as extend three new 13kV electric circuits into Bridgeport Borough to expand capacity.

Muth — who represents Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties — suspects it’s no coincidence that there’s a hyperscale data center being proposed in an area with a major electrical upgrade. Developer Brian O’Neill submitted plans this year to build hyperscale data centers in Upper Merion and Plymouth townships. The Upper Merion board of supervisors denied the preliminary land development plans in August, and O’Neill said he intends to appeal the decision. He’s told the Local he wants to build more data centers.

PECO also plans to build 67 megawatt power lines to serve a proposed data center in Limerick Township, according to the project application submitted in February. The lines will start in East Coventry in Chester County and run along the Schuylkill River through Linfield in Montgomery County. Both townships have been eyed for data center development. 

Changes to the electric grid in Pennsylvania have come under scrutiny by the public and experts, as critics worry about the potential impact AI data center projects will have on the grid and utility bills. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who a year ago welcomed AI data center development with open arms, passed an executive order on Aug. 18 requiring that data center developers pay for all electrical infrastructure needed to power the facilities.  

Under the order, DEP cannot issue any permits for data centers until the projects secure all the necessary approvals from local governments. This move aims to give local communities more power over the approval process. Muth said utilities that want to build new infrastructure for the facilities should have to secure local approval before state permitting. She doesn’t want the cost of PECO’s infrastructure upgrades to fall on ratepayers.

“The executive order obviously fails to stop utility infrastructure from being built out for potential new customers of hyperscale data centers,” she said. 

She added that DEP should organize a public hearing for the Montgomery County power lines permit request. 

According to DEP, officials may schedule “a fact-finding hearing or an informal conference in response to comments if deemed necessary.” People have until Sept. 21 to submit comments and requests for a hearing. They should be sent to DEP Southeast Regional Office Waterways & Wetlands Program in Norristown or via email to RA-EP-WW-SERO-105@pa.gov.