Operators at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick manually shut down Unit 2 early Saturday morning (4/4) to repair a small leak in a water cooling system on the non-nuclear side of the plant.

The leak -- less than two cups an hour -- is in a coupling on a small pipe in the cooling system that supports the unit's main generator, said Herbert D. Woodeshick, PP&L Inc.'s special assistant to the president for Susquehanna. Since the generator must be taken out of service to make the repair, the reactor was manually shut down.

"Crews also will perform plant maintenance that only can be done while the unit is out of service," Woodeshick said.

Unit 2 had been operating for 190 consecutive days before Saturday's shutdown. Unit 1, which has been operating continuously for 381 days, continues to operate at full power.

The Susquehanna plant, jointly owned by PP&L, Inc. and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., is located about five miles northeast of Berwick along Route 11.