CARBONDALE, PA — A joint venture backed by PPL Corp. and Blackstone Infrastructure has secured agreements to purchase nearly 7,200 acres across northern Lackawanna County to explore building at least two massive, natural gas-fired power plants to serve regional data center development. Signed in April and June with Dunmore businessman Dominick DeNaples, the land deals span Archbald, Carbondale, Carbondale Township, Fell Township, and Mayfield.
Alongside the property acquisitions, the holding company submitted requests to regional grid operators to add 2.25 gigawatts of gas-powered generation capacity in the region. While exact plant locations remain unspecified, real estate filings outline a "west campus" running north from Carbondale Township into Fell Township, and an "east campus" stretching from Archbald to the Brownell Reservoir. The reservoir supplies approximately 2 million gallons of public drinking water daily to upper Lackawanna Valley communities, raising environmental concerns over the power complex's proximity to a vital public water source.
