Data center siting snapshot: Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

Line miles are measured from the archived HIFLD Transmission Lines layer inside the Census county boundary. Mapped lines are not available capacity.

What the public record shows

The archived HIFLD map records approximately 273.1 miles of 230 kV and above transmission line within Luzerne County, comprising 67.3 miles at 500 kV or more and 205.8 miles at 230 kV ^[1]. The same map indicates about 0.0 miles of 115–161 kV line in the county ^[2]. PPL Electric Utilities and UGI Utilities are the owners of record with the most mapped 115 kV and above line miles ^[3]. Four named line endpoints touching 230 kV and above lines are mapped inside the county ^[4]. Retail electric utilities with mapped service territories covering part of the county include PPL Electric Utilities, UGI Utilities, and Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative ^[5].

Butler Township has a resolution in force dated 2026-05-12 regarding a Municipal Curative Amendment ^[6]. Executive Order 2026-05 is in force, requiring data centers over 25 MW to make binding commitments to pay project-caused costs and meet clean-firm targets ^[7]. Several state-level items are pending, including a proposed municipal moratorium memo and SB1345, both dated 2026-07-12 ^[8][9]. HB2359, pending since 2026-07-10, would prohibit nondisclosure agreements concerning data center construction ^[10]. A proposed Zoning Consideration Period memo is pending as of 2026-06-30 ^[11]. HB2198, pending since 2026-06-26, would repeal the Computer Data Center Equipment Incentive Program ^[12].

Drafted by our local model from the numbered facts below, then checked sentence by sentence by a second model and a rules-based check.

Data center rules on record

Rule records come from The MW Desk legislation tracker, which includes rows from the Moratorium Nation dataset by Michael J. Bommarito (CC BY 4.0). Statuses change; confirm with the jurisdiction's own record.

Utilities on record

PPL Electric Utilities, UGI Utilities, Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative. (HIFLD/EIA-861 territory polygons; approximate and often overlapping.)

Market context on The MW Desk: Pennsylvania (Susquehanna, Homer City, SE PA).

Sources

1. [1] The archived HIFLD map shows about 273.1 miles of 230 kV-and-above transmission line inside Luzerne County, PA: 67.3 miles at 500 kV or more, 0.0 miles at 345 kV and 205.8 miles at 230 kV. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
2. [2] The same map shows about 0.0 miles of 115–161 kV line in the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
3. [3] Owners of record with the most mapped 115 kV+ line miles in the county: PPL Electric Utilities, UGI Utilities. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
4. [4] 4 named line endpoints touching 230 kV+ lines (usually substations or switchyards) are mapped inside the county. Source: HIFLD Transmission Lines (archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
5. [5] Retail electric utilities whose mapped service territory covers part of the county include: PPL Electric Utilities, UGI Utilities, Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative. Territory boundaries are approximate. Source: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (EIA-861 based; archived by SeerAI, CC BY 4.0)
6. [6] Butler Township (Luzerne County) (township): Resolution No. 05122026, Municipal Curative Amendment (Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code Section 609.2). Status: in force, dated 2026-05-12. Source: 2026 Resolution No. 05122026 Adopting a Municipal Curative Amendment
7. [7] Pennsylvania state/utility level, Pennsylvania: Executive Order 2026-05 (GRID requirements) (Data centers over 25 MW must make binding commitments to pay all project-caused generation, transmission, distribution and upgrade costs, obtain local approvals, and meet clean-firm targets rising from 10% to 32% by 2035. Data centers are removed from PA Permit Fast Track and NDAs are barred). Status: in force, dated 2026-08-18. Source: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Governor Shapiro signs executive order on data center development
8. [8] Pennsylvania state/utility level, Pennsylvania: Proposed municipal moratorium memo 48540 (Amends the Municipalities Planning Code to give a municipality the option to impose a temporary (reported as up to 18 months per news coverage) moratorium on accepting/considering new applications for high-impact data centers while it revises ordinances and develops conditional-use standards). Status: pending, dated 2026-07-12. Source: PA General Assembly - Bills and Resolutions (recent activity)
9. [9] Pennsylvania state/utility level, Pennsylvania: SB1345 (Amends the Municipalities Planning Code to give municipalities the option to impose a temporary moratorium (reported as up to 18 months) on accepting/considering new applications for high-impact data centers while revising ordinances and developing conditional-use standards. Bill page's own 'Memo Subject' field reads 'Empowering Municipalities to Place a Moratorium on Data Center Development,' closely matching the 'P). Status: pending, dated 2026-07-12. Source: SB1345 primary source
10. [10] Pennsylvania state/utility level, Pennsylvania: HB2359 (Amends Right-to-Know Law to prohibit nondisclosure agreements concerning data center construction, development, or location). Status: pending, dated 2026-07-10. Source: PA General Assembly Bill Information - HB 2359
11. [11] Pennsylvania state/utility level, Pennsylvania: Proposed Zoning Consideration Period memo 48467. Status: pending, dated 2026-06-30. Source: PA General Assembly - Bills and Resolutions (recent activity)
12. [12] Pennsylvania state/utility level, Pennsylvania: HB2198 (Repeals the Computer Data Center Equipment Incentive Program). Status: pending, dated 2026-06-26. Source: PA General Assembly Bill Information - HB 2198