PPL Advanced-Stage Data Center Pipeline Reaches 35.3GW in Pennsylvania as Utility Signs 2GW QTS Deal

US utility PPL Corp. reported that its pipeline of advanced-stage data center projects in Pennsylvania has grown to 35.3GW, an increase of 3.5GW from the second quarter, marking the company's 11th consecutive quarterly rise in prospective data center load. The disclosure came during PPL's third-quarter earnings call, underscoring the accelerating pace of hyperscale and colocation development across its service territory and the mounting infrastructure requirements needed to support it.

The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based utility said it had agreed commercial terms to supply approximately 2GW of generation to a QTS data center in Salem Township, Pennsylvania. The deal was executed through Invitium Energy, PPL's joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure in which PPL holds a 51 percent stake. The arrangement originated under a non-binding letter of intent, and CEO Vince Sorgi said both teams are now working toward a long-form agreement, though he declined to provide a timeline. To power the facility, PPL plans to deploy two combined-cycle gas plants alongside fuel cells and battery storage, with the fuel cells and batteries potentially coming online as early as 2029 and the gas plants following in 2032 and 2033.

Across PPL Electric's Pennsylvania territory, load signed under electric service agreements rose by 300MW to approximately 11.4GW, of which 8.5GW is already under construction — a 2GW increase from the prior quarter. The utility said it has connected two data centers and energized 300MW of contracted load that will ramp to roughly 2GW. "As projects move from initial agreements to ESAs and then into construction, we gain greater visibility into the infrastructure and generation that will ultimately be needed to serve this load," Sorgi said on the call. He added that Invitium is in discussions with other customers and that another announcement before year-end is "certainly possible," though he declined to commit to a timeline.

In Kentucky, PPL reported that its economic development pipeline grew by 1GW to 14.7GW through 2032, including 12.8GW of data center load. To meet the expanding demand, the utility raised its capital investment plan to $25 billion for the 2027-to-2030 period, a $2 billion increase driven largely by an additional natural gas combined-cycle unit in Kentucky. Sorgi emphasized that large-load customers will bear most of the added investment through large-load tariffs in both Pennsylvania and Kentucky, which "require data centers to cover the cost of serving them," ensuring that existing customers do not absorb the burden.

The developments position PPL as a key enabler of the AI-driven data center buildout in the PJM interconnection region, where surging power demand has strained grid capacity and prompted utilities to accelerate generation procurement. Sorgi noted that the projects help meet rising energy demand while strengthening the PJM grid and supporting long-term energy affordability. He also suggested that recent midterm election results in other states could have a "chilling impact" on data center development, potentially driving more projects toward Pennsylvania and Kentucky. PPL delivers energy to more than 1.4 million customers across Pennsylvania, in addition to its subsidiaries serving Louisville and wider Kentucky.