Unit 2 at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., returned to service at 6:12 a.m. Monday (10/14).

"Our highly skilled workforce has worked diligently to safely return the plant to full power," said Herb Woodeshick, special assistant to the president for PPL Susquehanna. "We know that to generate power reliably and efficiently, our primary focus has to be on safe, secure operations."

The unit had been off line since Sept. 30 when it automatically shut down because of a problem on the non-nuclear side of the plant. The shutdown ended that reactor’s continuous run record at 526 days, Woodeshick said.

The unit’s main turbine tripped and the unit automatically shut down after the system that allows the main condenser to maintain its vacuum experienced a momentary loss of power. As a result, the condenser, which turns steam back into water, starting to lose its vacuum.

Plant personnel fixed the problem and restored the condenser vacuum shortly after the shutdown. However, Unit 2’s restart was delayed when the start-up transformer caught fire as crews attempted to bring the reactor back on line on Oct. 3.

The fire was quickly extinguished and no plant personnel were injured.

Crews have since replaced the transformer, which is connected to an off-site power supply.

The Susquehanna plant, located about seven miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by PPL Susquehanna LLC and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc. and is operated by PPL Susquehanna.