ARCHBALD, PA — PPL Electric Utilities has acquired more than 230 acres in Archbald for $4 million as the utility advances regional infrastructure upgrades designed to support power transmission across areas slated for proposed data center campuses.
The real estate transaction spans parcels situated south of Aylesworth Park and reaches into the borough’s Number 5 Hill neighborhood. Bisected by existing PPL transmission rights-of-way and the Robert P. Casey Highway (Route 6), the purchase encompasses property on both the east and west sides of the expressway. The acquisition also covers undeveloped acreage in the Number 5 Hill section stretching between Rock Street and the Lackawanna River, continuing south toward Church Street.
According to utility planning documents, the land will support a Midvalley transmission initiative aimed at upgrading existing high-voltage corridors and installing new electrical infrastructure spanning the footprints of several proposed hyperscale developments.
The land purchase drew sharp criticism from county leadership. In a texted statement, Lackawanna County Commissioner Bill Gaughan characterized the acquisition adjacent to Aylesworth Park as “another disturbing chapter in the attempted industrial exploitation of our region.” Gaughan argued that corporate entities are actively carving up the valley to assemble large land holdings, laying the framework for an extensive network of data centers, private power generation facilities, substations, and transmission lines. Gaughan texted the statement to the Scranton Times-Tribune.
