The Unit 1 reactor at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick was restarted Wednesday (10/23) after its ninth refueling and maintenance outage.

During the 47-day shutdown, about 30 percent of the unit's uranium fuel was replaced, said Herbert D. Woodeshick, Pennsylvania Power & Light Co.'s special assistant to the president for Susquehanna.

About 2,500 maintenance and modification tasks were completed during the outage, including 700 inspections and 450 test activities. Among the major jobs done during the outage were a detailed inspection of one of the unit's three low-pressure turbines, and inspection of the turbine's blades, Woodeshick said.

"We completed a multitude of tests and maintenance tasks to ensure that the unit is in superior condition so it can run safely and reliably during the next operating cycle," Woodeshick said.

PP&L has been working to reduce the duration of refueling outages to ensure that Susquehanna safely generates the maximum amount of electricity at the lowest cost for customers, Woodeshick said.

PP&L schedules Susquehanna refueling outages in the spring and fall, when demand for electricity is lower. Each unit is taken out of service for refueling every 18 months.

The Susquehanna plant, located in Luzerne County about five miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by PP&L and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc.