PPL Corporation statement on Trump-Shapiro call for new power auction to spur construction of power plants paid for by data centers

Rhea-AI Summary

PPL (NYSE:PPL) responded to the Jan. 16 call by President Trump and governors for a special PJM auction to spur new generation for data centers, saying new dispatchable generation is urgently needed and PPL is ready to help.

PPL reiterated its July joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure to build, own and operate new generation under long-term energy services agreements for large-load data centers in Pennsylvania, and said the JV has been laying groundwork to move quickly.

PPL also supports proposed Pennsylvania legislation to enable long-term contracting with independent power producers and to allow regulated utilities to build and own regulated generation again.

Positive

• Joint venture with Blackstone to build/own/operate new generation
• Long-term energy services agreements planned to serve large-load data centers
• Groundwork underway since July 2025 to accelerate construction

Negative

• Acknowledged rising electricity prices for other customers
• Planned outcomes depend on proposed Pennsylvania legislation passage

Argus Jan 20 session

+0.22% close to close 1.9x rel. volume Open Argus

Details

News Market Reaction – PPL

On Jan 20, the day this news came out, PPL closed 0.22% above the previous close. That session’s volume was 1.9x the stock’s average daily volume.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Jan 20 session.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Jan 06

5 events

1. Jan 06

   Operational milestone

   24h Move

   +0.3%

   Strongest year on record and facility expansion highlighted robust growth.

2. Nov 21

   Dividend declaration

   24h Move

   +1.6%

   Quarterly dividend of $0.2725 per share supported income-focused profile.

3. Nov 19

   Debt offering

   24h Move

   -0.0%

   Pricing of $1.0B 3.000% exchangeable senior notes for refinancing purposes.

4. Nov 19

   Capital raise proposal

   24h Move

   -2.6%

   Proposed $1.0B exchangeable notes private placement raised leverage concerns.

5. Nov 11

   Technology partnership

   24h Move

   +0.1%

   FinOps and analytics tie-up aimed at optimizing technology spending.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

dispatchable generation

1 terms

dispatchable generation technical

"new, dispatchable generation is urgently needed, and PPL stands ready"

Dispatchable generation is electricity supply that operators can turn on, off or adjust on demand to match the grid’s needs, like a faucet you can open or close when more or less water is required. For investors, it matters because these assets provide predictable, controllable power and steady revenue streams when the grid needs flexibility or backup, reducing market and reliability risk compared with intermittent sources.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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ALLENTOWN, Pa., Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- PPL Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Vincent Sorgi today issued the following statement in response to President Trump and a bipartisan group of governors calling on PJM Interconnection to hold a special auction to fund new generation in support of data centers:

"We thank President Trump and Governor Shapiro for their role in recognizing the seriousness of today's generation challenges and championing solutions to improve grid reliability, power large-scale data centers and help keep energy affordable for the families and businesses we serve.

The announcement from Friday, January 16, is a clear acknowledgment that new, dispatchable generation is urgently needed, and PPL stands ready to be part of the solution.

This is why we created a joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure to build, own and operate new generation to serve data centers under long-term energy services agreements and help mitigate rising electricity prices for our other customers. Since our announcement in July at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, the joint venture has been laying the necessary groundwork to move as quickly as possible to build new, dispatchable generation to serve large-load data centers in Pennsylvania.

In addition, we support legislation that's been proposed in Pennsylvania to facilitate construction of new, dispatchable generation in the Commonwealth.  That proposed legislation includes long-term contracting provisions with independent power producers and would also allow regulated utilities, including PPL Electric Utilities, to build and own regulated generation again. We continue to believe that whoever is able and willing to build new generation should be encouraged to do so. And at PPL, we are absolutely willing and able to be part of the solution. 

We're committed to bringing our expertise forward to move the President's announcement from concept to reality. And we will continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including federal and state leaders and data center developers, to address today's energy challenges and ensure a safe, reliable and affordable energy future for our customers ─ all while enabling the U.S. to win the AI race."

About PPL
PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, is a leading U.S. energy company focused on providing electricity and natural gas safely, reliably and affordably to more than 3.6 million customers in the U.S. PPL's high-performing, award-winning utilities are addressing energy challenges head-on by building smarter, more resilient and more dynamic power grids and advancing sustainable energy solutions. For more information, visit www.pplweb.com.

Note to Editors: Visit our media website at www.pplnewsroom.com for additional news and background about PPL Corporation.

Contacts:	For news media: Ryan Hill, 610-774-4033
	For financial analysts: Andy Ludwig, 610-774-3389

 

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SOURCE PPL Services Corporation

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did PPL (NYSE:PPL) announce in response to the Jan. 16 PJM auction call?

PPL said new dispatchable generation is urgently needed and it stands ready to help, citing its joint venture with Blackstone to build generation for data centers.

What is the purpose of PPL's joint venture with Blackstone Infrastructure?

To build, own and operate new dispatchable generation to serve large-load data centers under long-term energy services agreements.

How does PPL say the joint venture will affect electricity prices for customers?

PPL said the JV and long-term agreements aim to help mitigate rising electricity prices for other customers.

What Pennsylvania legislation does PPL support related to new generation?

Proposed legislation would enable long-term contracting with independent power producers and allow regulated utilities to build and own regulated generation again.

Will PPL move quickly to build new generation for data centers?

PPL stated the JV has been laying groundwork since July and is prepared to move as quickly as possible to build new dispatchable generation.