Hearing examines integrity, reliability of electric grid in Luzerne County

The Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee recently held a hearing on the integrity and reliability of Pennsylvania’s electric grid at the Back Mountain Regional Emergency Management Agency in Luzerne County.

The hearing addressed the state’s proposed implementation of a new energy tax and its affect on consumer rate, and future trends and their impact on Pennsylvania’s electric grid.

Lawmakers will use testimony from the hearing to develop legislation.

Testifiers included Robert Bair, Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council president; Stephen Bennett, PJM Interconnection manager of regulatory and legislative affairs; George Stark, Coterra Energy director of external affairs; and Glen Thomas, GT Power Group president.

“The generation fueled by coal and natural gas that we rely upon to balance the grid is retiring at a significant rate,” Bennett said. “Electrification of the transportation, industrial and building sectors is poised to create material load growth. Our region is also experiencing significant data center construction, which is creating major pockets of increasing demand on the system.”

Committee Chairman Joshua D. Kail (R-Beaver) led the hearing, and state Reps. Mike Cabell (R-Luzerne) and Jonathan Fritz (R-Wayne/Susquehanna) co-hosted.

“As policymakers and stakeholders, we need to focus on three areas moving forward: Expansion, not transition; crawl, walk, run; and let the market decide,” Cabell said.