ALLENTOWN, Pa.-John W. Conway, president and chief operating officer for the Crown Cork and Seal packaging company, and W. Keith Smith, a banking and finance executive for over 30 years prior to retiring last year from Mellon Financial Corporation, were nominated Friday (12/17) to the PP&L Resources, Inc. (NYSE: PPL) board of directors.
Both nominees will stand for formal election to the board at PP&L Resources' annual shareowners meeting in April, 2000, and will serve terms that extend to April, 2003.

As a result of their election, both Smith and Conway also will serve as directors of PP&L Resources' largest subsidiary, PP&L, Inc., which delivers electricity to 1.3 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania, generates electricity, and markets wholesale energy in the United States and in Canada.

"PP&L Resources has long believed that a strong board of directors is a key corporate asset and is an important element of growing shareowner value," said William F. Hecht, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We are very enthusiastic about adding these two individuals to our board."

Since 1998, Conway has been president and chief operating officer for Philadelphia-based Crown Cork and Seal, the world's leading manufacturer of packaging products for consumer goods. Its products include metal cans and plastic containers for consumer products; plastic packaging products for health and beauty care applications; and specialty and promotional packaging products. The company operates 247 plants located in 49 countries and employs approximately 41,000 people. Conway has been a director there since 1997.

Conway joined Crown Cork and Seal in 1991 following its acquisition of Continental Can International Corporation, also of Philadelphia. He joined Continental Can in 1974 and was its president from 1988 to 1991. He also was an attorney for the company for six years.

Conway earned an economics degree from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Columbia University. He is a resident of New Hope, Pa., in Bucks County.

Smith served as vice chairman of Mellon Financial Corporation and senior vice chairman of Mellon Bank, N.A., as well as a member of the Board of Directors of both organizations from 1987 until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1998. In his capacity as head of Mellon's trust and investment businesses he served as chairman and chief executive officer of The Boston Company and Boston Safe Deposit Company, as well as Chairman of The Dreyfus Corporation and Buck Consultants Inc. From 1990 to 1993, he served as head of Mellon's service products businesses, which included all of Mellon's fee-based services and its information management function.

Smith joined Mellon in 1987, and until 1990 served as vice chairman and chief financial officer of Mellon Financial Corporation and Mellon Bank, N.A. In that capacity he played the lead role in the recapitalization of Mellon.

Prior to joining Mellon, Smith held executive positions in banking and finance with Paccar, Inc., Crocker National Bank in San Francisco, Bank of Montreal and Central National Bank in Chicago. Earlier in his career, Smith was a management consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton and Haskins & Sells.

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan in Canada, Smith earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, a graduate degree from the University of Western Ontario and is a Chartered Accountant. He is currently a resident of Pittsburgh and sits on several public company and not-for-profit boards, including Allegheny General Hospital. Smith also is a member of the board of directors of Dentsply International, Inc., York, Pa.

PP&L Resources recently announced new earnings forecasts for 1999 and 2000 that represent a 28 percent increase since 1998. The company also recently completed an acquisition of generation assets in Montana, the largest acquisition in its history, totaling 1,315 megawatts. "This acquisition provides PP&L Resources with a solid, strategic entry into an entirely new region of the country, consistent with its objective of becoming a major supplier of electricity in key markets throughout the United States," said Hecht.

PP&L Resources plans to more than double its U.S. generating capacity to about 20,000 megawatts within the next five years.

Based in Allentown, Pa., PP&L Resources is a Fortune 500 company that delivers electricity and natural gas to more than 1.3 million customers in Pennsylvania; sells wholesale and retail energy in more than 30 U.S. states and Canada; generates electricity at power plants in Pennsylvania and Maine; delivers electricity to 1.4 million customers in southwest Britain; and delivers electricity to more than 800,000 customers in Chile, Bolivia and El Salvador.


Certain statements contained in this news release, including statements with respect to future earnings, electricity marketing and generating capacity, and other statements which are statements of other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although PP&L Resources believes that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. The following are among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements: state and federal regulatory developments; new state or federal legislation; national or regional economic conditions; market demand and prices for energy, capacity and fuel; weather variations affecting customer energy usage; competition in retail and wholesale power markets; the effect of any business or industry restructuring; PP&L Resources' and PP&L, Inc.'s profitability and liquidity; new accounting requirements or new interpretations or applications of existing requirements; operating performance of plants and other facilities; environmental conditions and requirements; system conditions (including actual results in achieving Year 2000 compliance by PP&L Resources, its subsidiaries and others) and operating costs; performance of new ventures; political, regulatory or economic conditions in foreign countries where PP&L Global makes investments; foreign exchange rates; and PP&L Resources' and PP&L, Inc.'s commitments and liabilities. Any such forward-looking statements should be considered in light of such important factors and in conjunction with PP&L Resources' 1998 Form 10-K and interim reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including a Form 8-K dated Dec. 16, 1999. New factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for PP&L Resources to predict all of such factors, or the extent to which any such factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and PP&L Resources undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in such statement to reflect subsequent developments or information.

Note to Editors: Photos of Conway and Smith are available through PR Newswire at http://www.newscom.com