How Two Line Rebuilds Likely Ended a Five-Year Congestion Pattern in PJM

The rebuilds of PPL’s Berks–Lavino 69 kV and South Akron-Millwood-Strasburg 230 kV lines in Pennsylvania represent a good example of how transmission investment can potentially reshape congestion patterns and price formation in PJM . From 2020 through 2025, the BOONETWN–SREADING BOO-SRE A 230 kV, Real Time constraint (all contingencies) showed persistent and, at times, extreme congestion costs. Following the completion of both line projects in September 2025, the constraint appears to have stopped binding.