Unit 2 at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick returned to service Sunday (10/22) after a 39-day planned outage for refueling and maintenance.
Herbert D. Woodeshick, special assistant to the president for Pennsylvania Power & Light Co., which operates the plant, said the outage was very successful. About one-quarter of the unit's uranium fuel was replaced and nearly 3,000 maintenance jobs were completed.
"It was the shortest outage we've ever had. We are making greater use of safety criteria to change the sequence of work done before and during outages. We are performing more maintenance while units are operating to reduce outage length and improve safety," he said.
Woodeshick said the people who did the outage work were the key factor in reducing outage length from 89 days for Unit 2 last spring to 39 days this fall. He said PP&L is building on its own experience and learning from other nuclear power plants in the ongoing effort to improve Susquehanna's performance.
"Effective maintenance -- before, during and after scheduled outages -- contributes to safe, reliable generation at the lowest cost for PP&L customers," he said.
During its last operating cycle, from June 1994 to September 1995, Unit 2 generated 11.7 billion kilowatt-hours and was out of service for only six days. That down time resulted from an electrical equipment problem outside of the plant.
Unit 2 is in excellent material condition and ready for another safe, extended run, Woodeshick said. Its next scheduled outage is in the spring of 1997.
In addition to replacing fuel, major projects completed during the outage included:
-- An inspection of main turbine-generator components.
-- Reliability improvements to the plant's external power supply system.
-- Replacement of a plant monitoring computer system.
Unit 1 at the plant is operating at full power and has been in service for 169 consecutive days since the end of a 43-day spring refueling outage. Its next scheduled refueling outage is in the fall of 1996.
The Susquehanna plant, located in Luzerne County about five miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by PP&L and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc.