Electric System

We're focused on providing reliable service.

Every day, PPL Electric Utilities is focused on operating and maintaining a vast and complex system to keep the lights on and provide reliable service.

We prepare all year long to respond to outages, and we proactively trim trees and make other improvements to deliver your electricity reliably and safely.

Damage from storms, animals, vehicle accidents or other factors can disrupt service to your home at any point along the electricity grid. Depending on the type of event, there could be several repairs to make along the grid to restore electricity to your home or business.

How Electricity Travels to Your Home Diagram: Electricity is generated, transported over high-voltage transmission lines, reduced at a substation, Lower voltage distribution lines, Overhead transformer further reduces voltage and Electricity delivered to your home

How Electricity Travels to Your Home

  1. Electricity is generated

  2. Electricity is transported over high-voltage transmission lines

  3. Voltage reduced at a substation

  1. Lower voltage distribution lines

  2. Overhead transformer further reduces voltage

  3. Electricity delivered to your home

Power plants

  • Power plants – large and small of all different types – operate independently of local utilities and sell power into a competitive market.
  • PPL Electric Utilities does not own power plants, and you can choose your generation supplier.

High-voltage transmission lines

  • Electricity generated at power plants travels long distances over high-voltage transmission lines.
  • These lines are the backbone of the nation's electric grid and are vital to security, safety and commerce.
  • Transmission lines across Pennsylvania are interconnected in a network and tie into a power grid throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
  • There are about 15,000 miles of transmission lines in PPL Electric Utilities service territory. They carry from 69 kilovolts to 500 kilovolts.
  • We operate more than 1,300 miles of 230- and 500-kilovolt transmission line rights of way.

Substations

  • Fed by the transmission lines, substations control and regulate power for distribution in area cities and towns.
  • Substations serve as the hubs for local power supply.
  • The facilities generally feature large circuit breakers, transformers, lightning arrestors, and controls for power distribution and power quality.

Distribution lines

  • Distribution lines carry electricity at lower voltages to homes and businesses.
  • The electricity is measured by advanced meters that can read usage on an hourly and daily basis.
  • PPL maintains 35,000 miles of overhead distribution lines delivering power to customers.