Site Selection magazine names PPL Electric Utilities a top utility for economic development, citing $12.8 billion in supported investment across Pennsylvania in 2025

Site Selection magazine named PPL Electric Utilities one of the nation’s Top Utilities in Economic Development on September 3, 2026 — a recognition the Allentown-based company earned based on corporate facility investment and job creation across its service territory. The annual distinction, awarded by an international publication covering corporate real estate and facility planning, reflects measurable results: businesses choosing to expand or locate within a utility’s footprint, and the jobs that follow.

PPL Electric receives national economic development recognition

PPL Electric Utilities serves approximately 1.5 million homes and businesses across eastern and central Pennsylvania. That broad footprint — and what happens within it — forms the basis of Site Selection magazine’s recognition. The award isn’t honorary. It’s grounded in documented corporate facility investment and job creation numbers within a utility’s service territory during the prior calendar year.

This year’s recognition also carried an added milestone. PPL Electric’s sister utilities — Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company — received the same distinction, marking the first time PPL’s Pennsylvania and Kentucky operations earned it in the same year.

Businesses and site selectors looking for more information on PPL Electric’s economic development services can visit pplelectric.com/EconomicDevelopment.

2025 project activity drove the recognition

The numbers behind the award are concrete. In 2025, PPL Electric supported 20 projects totaling more than $12.8 billion in capital investment and 1,775 new jobs. Those projects cut across manufacturing, agriculture, distribution, technology, and life sciences — a range that reflects the diversity of Pennsylvania’s regional economies.

Several notable projects wrapped up during the year. B. Braun US Device Manufacturing finished a manufacturing expansion in Hanover Township, Lehigh County. Hydro Extrusions North America completed a manufacturing expansion in Cressona, Schuylkill County. Espoma Organics opened a new fertilizer manufacturing facility in Tremont, also in Schuylkill County.

One project stood out for a different reason. Amazon Web Services’ data center campus in Salem Township became PPL Electric’s first connection of a hyperscale data center customer to its transmission system — a clear signal of the growing infrastructure demands that large-scale tech operations place on regional utilities. Additional investments moved forward from companies including Clemens Food Group, EMD Electronics, Kolmar, Il Pastaio USA, and FARM PLAST.

Reliable infrastructure cited as key factor by regional partners

Economic development organizations across PPL Electric’s service territory were direct about what the utility’s role means in practice. Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., credited PPL’s energy service as “a critical part of the economic revitalization of Lehigh Valley,” describing the region as now one of America’s top manufacturing markets.

Penn’s Northeast president John Augustine III pointed to something beyond infrastructure alone. Coordination among state agencies, regional partners, and local communities — with PPL Electric as a key partner — is what turns site readiness into actual economic growth. A well-sited property without reliable power and a coordinated support network doesn’t close deals.

Ryan C. Unger, president and CEO of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC, put it plainly: access to reliable utility infrastructure “can determine whether transformational projects move forward.” Energy reliability isn’t a background condition in site selection — it’s often the deciding factor. Lauren Bryson, executive director of Focus Central Pennsylvania, described PPL Electric’s commitment to collaboration and infrastructure investment as “foundational work that converts regional potential into real investment.”

How PPL Electric’s economic development team operates

Behind the project numbers is a team with a specific function. PPL Electric Utilities‘ Business and Economic Development team works with state and local organizations, site selectors, developers, and prospective businesses to evaluate sites and understand electric service needs before decisions are finalized.

Early coordination is central to that process. The team works alongside PPL Electric’s engineering and system planning staff to give businesses clearer information about potential service options, costs, and timelines — exactly the details that can shape whether a project moves forward in a given location. Getting those answers early reduces uncertainty for companies weighing competing sites.

Christine Martin, president of PPL Electric Utilities, attributed the recognition to the employees and partners involved in that daily work. “By providing reliable electric service, planning for future energy needs and working closely with businesses and local partners, we are helping create the conditions for good jobs and long-term investment,” she said.

Site Selection is an international publication focused on corporate real estate, facility planning, and economic development. Its Top Utilities recognition identifies utilities that demonstrate strong, documented results in supporting business investment and job creation within their service areas — not utilities that simply apply.

The utility’s first hyperscale data center transmission connection

PPL Electric Utilities earned its 2026 Top Utilities in Economic Development recognition from Site Selection magazine based on 20 supported projects, more than $12.8 billion in capital investment, and 1,775 new jobs across eastern and central Pennsylvania. Projects spanned multiple sectors. Amazon Web Services’ Salem Township campus represented something new: the utility’s first hyperscale data center transmission connection.

Regional economic development leaders consistently pointed to reliable infrastructure and early-stage coordination as the factors that make PPL Electric a meaningful partner — not just a service provider. The simultaneous recognition of PPL’s Kentucky utilities adds a broader dimension to the achievement.

Businesses and site selectors looking for more information on PPL Electric’s economic development services can visit pplelectric.com/EconomicDevelopment.

Kelly Lippke

Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.