The Unit 2 reactor at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick returned to service Saturday (5/10) following a refueling and maintenance outage.

During the outage, about 40 percent of the unit's uranium fuel was replaced, according to Herbert D. Woodeshick, Pennsylvania Power & Light Co.'s special assistant to the president for Susquehanna.

Unit 2 will now be on a 24-month refueling cycle. Previously, the unit was refueled every 18 months.

The longer run cycle is made possible by using a new fuel design with a higher energy content and improved safety margins. The new fuel design will increase the unit's availability while maintaining a high level of safety at the plant.

Unit 1 at the plant is expected to be converted to the 24-month cycle during its next refueling outage in spring 1998.

About 2,900 maintenance and work items were completed during the shutdown. "We used the opportunity to perform maintenance work designed to ensure that this unit runs safely and efficiently until its next refueling," said Woodeshick.

Unit 1 at the plant continues to operate at full power.

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