PPL land deal in Archbald, Upvalley paves way for massive data center power plants

A PPL Corp. joint venture secured more than 11 square miles of Lackawanna County's Upvalley from Dunmore businessman Dominick DeNaples — including land bordering a vital source of public drinking water — to explore building at least two massive power plants for data centers.
A holding company tied to PPL Corp. and its venture with Blackstone Infrastructure signed agreements in April and June to purchase nearly 7,200 acres across Archbald, Carbondale, Carbondale Twp., Fell Twp. and Mayfield, while the joint venture also filed requests to add 2.25 gigawatts of natural gas power plants in Lackawanna County. The exact location of the two power plants is unclear, though the timing of the requests coincides with a memorandum to purchase land for a "west campus" that begins in Carbondale Twp. above Business Route 6, lines the city and extends north through Fell Twp. An east campus includes properties spanning from near Aylesworth Park in Archbald north to the Brownell Reservoir in Carbondale Twp., which provides 2 million gallons of drinking water daily to surrounding communities.