Unit 1 at Susquehanna nuclear power plant returns to service

Thursday, Nov 08, 2012

BERWICK, Pa., Nov. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Unit 1 at PPL Corporation's Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., resumed generating electricity for the regional power grid safely and reliably on Wednesday (11/7) after completing a turbine blade inspection. The inspection found signs of cracking on a small number of turbine blades, confirming data from diagnostic equipment installed in the spring of 2012. Those blades were replaced.

"The inspection was another step in what has been a very systematic approach to understand what's causing the cracks," said Timothy S. Rausch, PPL Susquehanna senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. "We now have a solid understanding of the cause and are finalizing short-term and long-term plans to resolve the issue."

PPL Susquehanna also announced it will shut down Unit 2 for a similar inspection in the near future based on information provided by the diagnostic equipment installed on that unit, and will replace any cracked blades that may be found on the turbine. The work done this fall will serve as a bridge until the power plant begins making long-term fixes starting in the spring of 2013.

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 LLC.

PPL Susquehanna LLC is one of PPL Corporation's generating affiliates.

Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) owns or controls through its subsidiaries about 19,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets, and delivers electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the United States and the United Kingdom. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.

SOURCE PPL Susquehanna