PPL doubles capacity of Pennsylvania Holtwood hydropower plant

(Reuters) - U.S. power company PPL Corp said Monday it more than doubled the capacity of the Holtwood hydropower facility along the Susquehanna River in south-central Pennsylvania with the completion of a new 125-megawatt powerhouse.

PPL said in a release the powerhouse is part of a $440 million expansion project to boost the plant's capacity and improve fish passage over the century-old dam.

The new powerhouse sits adjacent to the century-old powerhouse and more than doubles the plant's generating capacity from about 108 MW to more than 230 MW, PPL said.

With the project complete, the company said it expects to qualify for federal grants made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, noting the incentives were a key factor in the company's decision to build the facility and are expected to exceed $100 million.

The multi-year project created more than 300 construction jobs, PPL said.

Holtwood's existing powerhouse, started in 1906 and completed in 1910, continued to operate throughout the project and will continue to generate power in the future, PPL said.

Source: Reuters