December 12, 2024

We are building a new substation off Route 422 in South Annville Township, Pa., that will supply electricity to new, massive warehouse facilities in a growing industrial complex.

“Our new substation will provide the critical infrastructure necessary to energize an enormous shipping hub in the busy motor freight corridor encompassing Interstates 78 and 81 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike,” said John Hawkins, President, Pennsylvania. “It will also provide operational flexibility for our local electric grid to better serve our residential and business customers in these fast-growing communities.”

New distribution lines will link the substation to the local electric network, enhancing service reliability for more than 2,100 Met-Ed customers in the area. When completed, the project will offer a backup power feed that will help keep the lights on for nearby customers if wires or equipment on their regular line are damaged or need to be taken out of service. Construction of the substation started in spring 2024 and is expected to be completed by early 2025.

Met-Ed substation crews have installed steel structures, circuit breakers, electrical cables and other substation equipment. Delivery of the facility’s transformer – which measures 13.5-feet tall by 20-feet wide and weighs more than 100,000 pounds – is expected in December.

Two short power lines will exit the substation, with plans to expand those lines and build a third power line from the substation in the future. One line will serve the 1.1-million-square-foot Eagle Point Logistics Center next to the substation. The second line will supply a new 1 million-square-foot facility directly across from the substation, the first of three warehouses planned for the Clear Springs Logistics Park. That line will connect with an existing power line to provide additional operational flexibility when work is completed.

This work is part of Energize365, a multi-year grid evolution program focused on transmission and distribution investments that will deliver the power our customers depend on today while also meeting the challenges of tomorrow. With planned investments of $26 billion between 2024 and 2028, the program will create a smarter, more secure grid that will meet and exceed reliability targets and accommodate electric vehicles, the electrification of homes and businesses and clean energy sources.