PPL disconnects Susquehanna’s Unit 1 from grid for repair

PPL has disconnected Unit 1 at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in northeastern Pennsylvania from the regional power grid, in order to repair one valve out of the total four that regulate the quantity of steam going into the turbine.

PPL Susquehanna senior vice president and chief nuclear officer Timothy S. Rausch said their conservative approach to operate the plant carefully and reliably was reflected in fixing of the valve.

“The repair also supports optimal performance of the unit during the summer months when the demand for power is high,” Rausch added.

PPL is expecting to finish the repairs and connect Unit 1 again to the power grid soon. Unit 2 has continued to operate at full power during the repair work. Both Susquehanna units have a generating capacity of about 1,300MW.

Located in Luzerne County about seven miles north of Berwick, the plant is jointly owned by PPL Susquehanna and Allegheny Electric Cooperative and is operated by PPL Susquehanna.