PPL Holtwood

The Holtwood plant has been generating electricity since 1910, using the power of the water held back by a 55-foot-high dam across the Susquehanna River between Lancaster and York counties.

The 10-unit hydroelectric facility, located in Martic Township about 15 miles south of Lancaster, Pa., has a total generating capacity of about 108 megawatts. The plant employs about 15 people and is owned by PPL Holtwood LLC, a subsidiary of PPL Generation.

In 2010, PPL began a $434 million expansion project to add 125-megawatts in generating capacity, more than doubling Holtwood’s existing generating capacity.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the project in November 2009. FERC also extended the plant’s existing operating license for the Holtwood hydroelectric plant through August 2030.

The Holtwood fish lifts — the largest in the nation — are part of a multimillion-dollar project to enable the migrating American shad to continue their annual spring journey up the Susquehanna River to spawn. The expansion of the plant will include enhancements to the fish lifts to improve the passage for migratory fish along the Susquehanna River and its tributaries.

Behind the dam is 2,400-acre Lake Aldred, a popular boating and recreation area. PPL will transfer about 3,500 acres of company-owned land near the Holtwood plant as part of a broad public-private initiative that will preserve and protect this valuable land while enhancing its benefits to the public.