The Unit 1 reactor at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick was shut down Monday (10/28) to repair a small leak in a pipe inside the reactor building.

The leak was found during thorough inspections that are made as the unit slowly increases power after a refueling outage. Unit 1 was restarted Wednesday (10/23) following refueling.

"It's a leak about the size of a pinhole in a 4-inch pipe that provides drainage for certain plant systems," said Herbert D. Woodeshick, Pennsylvania Power & Light Co.'s special assistant to the president for Susquehanna.

"We have very thorough testing procedures for all plant systems as we gradually increase power over a period of several days," Woodeshick said. "The procedures are designed to detect and make any needed repairs before the unit reaches full power. Our focus is on making sure that this unit is available to generate power safely and reliably for an extended period," he said.

"We expect to have the unit back on line in about a week," Woodeshick said. Unit 2 at the plant continues to operate at full power.

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