Apr 28, 2004
PPL's Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant Returns to Normal Operation
PRNewswire-FirstCall
BERWICK, Pa.
PPL's Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County declared an end to an "unusual event" at 3:52 p.m. EDT on Wednesday (4/28), and plant operators have begun to return the Unit 2 reactor to full power.
The plant entered the lowest of the four emergency classifications for nuclear power plants at 1:25 p.m. EDT Wednesday because of an electrical failure in a power distribution panel located in the Unit 2 reactor building. As a result, the unit's power was reduced to about 80 percent.
"Plant equipment and personnel reacted as expected for this type of situation," said Herbert D. Woodeshick, special assistant to the president for PPL Susquehanna. "Workers isolated the electrical failure and restored power to the affected systems through an alternate electrical supply."
The damaged distribution panel supplied power to the cooling system for the main generator and to the system that removes certain gases from the turbine's main condenser, without which the unit cannot operate at full power.
"The plant was in a stable condition throughout the event, and Unit 1 remains at full power," Woodeshick said.
Unit 2 now has been operating for 374 consecutive days.
PPL notified Luzerne and Columbia county emergency management agencies, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Susquehanna plant, located 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 a member of the PPL Corporation family of companies. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) controls about 11,500 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.
SOURCE: PPL Corporation
CONTACT: Herbert D. Woodeshick, PPL Corporation, +1-570-759-2285, Fax:
+1-610-774-5281
Web site: http://www.pplweb.com/
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