Unit 2 at the PPL Susquehanna nuclear plant has run continuously for 427 days breaking a record set by Unit 1 in 1995.

Unit 2’s run started when it came back online after its 10th refueling and inspection outage last spring.

"This milestone recognizes the efforts of our employees to ensure the safe operation of the Susquehanna plant and to becoming one of the top nuclear generators in the country," said Herbert D. Woodeshick, special assistant to the president.

"The record also emphasizes the importance of effective refueling and inspection outages to the plant’s operating cycle and to PPL’s commitment to provide reliable electric service to northeastern and central Pennsylvania," he said.

Besides replenishing a portion of a unit’s uranium fuel during a refueling and inspection outage, crews conduct preventive maintenance and make system upgrades to help ensure that Susquehanna safely generates the maximum amount of electricity, Woodeshick said.

The Susquehanna plant has two boiling water reactors; Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1983, and Unit 2 came on line in 1985. Each reactor undergoes a refueling and inspection outage every 24 months during the spring when demand for electricity is lower than at other times of the year.

In 2001, the Susquehanna plant produced more electricity than it had in any year since the plant began operation in 1983.

The two-unit plant located in Luzerne County, Pa., generated more than 17.8 billion kilowatt-hours in 2001, breaking the previous record of 17.5 billion kilowatt-hours set last year.

Nuclear energy provides more than 30 percent of the electricity produced in Pennsylvania and about 20 percent in the United States. Woodeshick noted that 1 billion kilowatt-hours is enough electricity to provide for the annual needs of 100,000 households in the eastern U.S., where PPL Susquehanna’s electricity is marketed.

The Susquehanna plant is owned jointly by PPL Susquehanna LLC and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc. and is operated by PPL Susquehanna.