BERWICK, Pa., June 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Unit 1 at PPL Corporation's Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., resumed generating electricity safely and reliably for customers late Friday (6/6) after completing a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.
Workers replaced about 40 percent of the uranium fuel and performed a large number of equipment maintenance tasks and upgrades all aimed at further improving plant safety, reliability and performance. Equipment upgrades included modifications to the plant's turbines to address the vibration issues experienced over the past few years. The changes to the turbine and associated equipment are expected to enable the plant to operate until its next refueling outage.
"We spend millions of dollars during every refueling outage to replace or upgrade systems and components," said Timothy S. Rausch, senior vice president and Chief Nuclear Officer for PPL Susquehanna. "Modernizing our systems and keeping our existing equipment in good condition is part of our overall approach to operating safely."
More than 1,000 additional workers were hired to assist with the many routine and specialty tasks completed during the outage.
"Those workers provide a significant economic boost to local hotels, restaurants and businesses," Rausch said.
Unit 2 continues normal operation.
The Susquehanna plant, located in Luzerne County about seven miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by PPL Susquehanna LLC and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc. and is operated by PPL Susquehanna.
PPL Susquehanna LLC is one of PPL Corporation's generating affiliates. PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), with 2013 revenues of $12 billion, is one of the largest companies in the U.S. utility sector. The PPL family of companies delivers electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the United States and the United Kingdom, owns more than 18,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States and sells energy in key U.S. markets. More information is available at www.pplsusquehanna.com and www.pplweb.com.
SOURCE PPL Susquehanna
