Bethel Township officials question new transmission substation construction

Questions have been raised about ongoing construction of an electric transmission substation in the 200 block of School Drive in Bethel Township. 

While township officials question if it is permissible since no land development plan was filed with the municipality, company representatives with Met-Ed have told the township they have the authority to expand without notifying them.

Neither township zoning officer Jackie Hollenbach was aware of the substation being built when asked by LebTown on Sept. 2, nor was Bethel Township engineer Matthew Mack or Fredericksburg Fire Chief Kevin Snader when asked by LebTown on Sept. 4.

“We believe that a plan, at a minimum, should have been filed with the township,” said Mack. “Jackie mentioned it to me and you have, and that was the first time I’m hearing about this project.” 

Met-Ed spokesman Todd L. Meyers disagreed in an email to LebTown.

“As a public utility in Pennsylvania, FirstEnergy is regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and its Public Utility Code which pre-empts local land-development regulations,” Meyers wrote.

During a Sept. 2 zoning hearing board meeting, a comment by a solar company representative noted there were plans for a “huge” substation to be constructed near a proposed 5,000 solar panel array near the existing distribution substation.

In response to the “huge” comment, Meyers said the substation will sit on one acre of land and “the entire parcel is 6.9 acres to accommodate power lines that will connect the new substation to the local electric grid.  Site plans are available at the Lebanon County Conservation District offices.”     

That new array, which was to be on existing farmland located in an agriculture zone, was slated to be built if approved at 80 Fortna Road. Zoning board officials, however, denied the conditional-use variance request by a 2-1 vote, citing opposition to constructing solar arrays on existing farmland zoned agriculture.

Read More: Bethel Twp. zoning hearing board denies proposed 5,000 solar panel farm array

The comment at the hearing surprised Hollenbach, who told LebTown that she had no idea there were construction plans for a substation in Bethel Township. 

LebTown had asked Hollenbach for more details because at no time in recent months has the construction of a substation been discussed at any meeting of township supervisors, planning commission, or zoning hearing board. The zoning board meeting was the first reference to the new transmission station project for Hollenbach and LebTown.

On Sept. 4, following the dedication of the new social hall at Fireman’s Park, LebTown asked township supervisor chairman Richard Rudy about the project, and he had no knowledge of it. Nor did Snader. The fire chief said fire officials should be notified about projects like this in case of an emergency call to that location.

Following conversations with both Rudy and Snader, LebTown conducted a spot inspection in the area of the proposed solar array near Fortna Road, believing that the project, as described at the zoning hearing board meeting and based on comments of township officials, hadn’t commenced.

(A search of that immediate area is somewhat limited since half of the array would have been constructed in Bethel Township and the other half in Swatara Township. It is unknown whether the solar array project will still occur in Swatara Township since Bethel officials denied it there.)

Read More: Swatara Township grants solar farm conditional use, but future still uncertain

The drive-by revealed what appeared to be construction equipment onsite and work being performed on a new substation adjacent to the existing substation at 261 School Drive, just south of U.S. Route 22 and Northern Lebanon High School. LebTown spotted a worker on a crane at the new substation.

Meyers provided some insight into the project in an email to LebTown.

“I do know this transmission substation, which is under construction and located immediately adjacent to Met-Ed’s Fredericksburg distribution substation, is not scheduled to be energized and in service until sometime in Fall 2026 (12 months away),” wrote Meyers. “The new substation is owned by a FirstEnergy Transmission subsidiary called Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT).”

In a separate email, Meyers noted that the new transmission pad, which is being constructed on one acre, will not serve any solar arrays in Bethel Township. 

“The information I had provided you initially concerned work we might need to undertake at the smaller distribution substation which is located adjacent to the substation in the photo you sent to me,” he wrote. “The smaller distribution substation is not being expanded. This is a new transmission substation that has been under construction for much of this year.”

Meyers also wrote that “the purpose of the new substation is to improve the reliability of our transmission system in the northern end of Lebanon County that has experienced growth but has limited electrical infrastructure.”

“In future years, at least one new line will be built from the substation. The new line will provide more operational flexibility for us to switch customers to an alternate feed when we perform maintenance or repair damage from severe weather, car crashes etc. That way customers, including larger ones such as Bell & Evans, can remain in power while our crews complete work,” Meyers said in the email.

He revealed additional details about the substation.

“The new substation will improve reliability of electric service for existing customers and accommodate future growth. We expect the substation to be energized and in service sometime later this year or in early 2026, with more work expected at the site in coming years. There are no plans to build another ‘new’ substation in response to possible solar generation projects. The one under construction has been planned for years,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mack had reached out to an engineer for Met-Ed about the need for certain permits but was told he was wrong and referred to information provided by the power company’s attorney.

LebTown asked Mack what permits he believes are required for the construction project.

He said they do not need a zoning permit, and said they have a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for stormwater management. Meyers wrote that the NPDES permit issuance from Lebanon County Conservation District occurred on March 11, 2024, and was renewed on Dec. 5, 2024.

Mack said he was told that electric company officials believe they are exempt from the subdivision and the zoning ordinance in a letter that was sent to him. 

“And they had documentation back from recorded court hearings, like decisions that were made from like the ’40s,” Mack said, adding that he’s reached out to legal counsel at the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors (PSATS) for a legal interpretation. 

“We’re waiting for the counsel from PSATS to come back and say, ‘Matt, you can go forward with this. This is our interpretation and we’ll stand behind that,’” Mack said. “But if they come back and say, ‘Matt, we agree with them,’ I’m done. Now our attorney’s looking at it, too.”

Mack said a new driveway was built at the site with no permit from the township for the work.

“They put a temporary new driveway onto our road with no permits, no nothing. So I can see the zoning because that’s part of the line. They got an NPDES permit, so that addresses stormwater,” Mack said. “But a driveway onto a township road, like with no permit, no nothing, and they’re saying, ‘We’re exempt from all that.’”

Mack, however, said he’s witnessed the utility submit plans to other municipalities for similar projects, and wonders why consistency with past practices is absent for this one. He said he’s requested the utility to provide a letter from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office stating that what they are doing is legal.

“What is unique is that I’ve been involved in other townships when they have submitted land development plans, so it’s kind of unique that they are not doing that here,” Mack said. “And they’ve submitted many plans in other townships I’ve been involved with. It would have been nice if they just would have came in and said, ‘Hey, here’s what we’re doing’ and presented that land development – that sheet – to us instead of getting blindsided by you calling me and saying, ‘Hey, what’s going on here?’ when I did not know.”

LebTown will continue to follow this developing story.