Meeting Set On Proposed Data Center Transmission Lines Across Schuylkill River In Limerick

LIMERICK TOWNSHIP, PA — A virtual public meeting addressing environmental concerns of the proposed PECO transmission line crossing the Schuykill River in Limerick Township will be held next week.

The transmission line, if approved, would serve a proposed hyperscale data center in the area. The data center has not yet been approved.

Residents can here or can dial in and attend by phone by calling (267) 332-8737 (Conference ID: 767 543 560#).

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is hosting the meeting to obtain public feedback.

Local leaders and advocates urge residents to attend. Many are vehemently opposed to the project.

State Sen. Katie Muth urged the DEP for months to hold this meeting, and organized petitions to pressure the agency before it was scheduled.

PECO is applying to the DEP for a special permit under Chapter 105, which addresses projects that change, expand, or diminish the current of a river or other waterway.

Specifically, the proposed power line would run from the PECO Lock Substation in East Coventry to the Schuylkill River and across it, and then would connect to another PECO line between Sanatoga Quarry and Limerick Generating Station. That right of way connects to the data center on Sanatoga Road in Limerick.

Muth has described the Limerick area as a potential "Data Center Alley 2.0" for big tech due to its proximity to PECO infrastructure. Multiple proposals have been submitted in the area and face enormous community and bipartisan opposition.