An "unusual event" was declared at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County near Berwick, Pa., at 8:32 p.m. EST on Wednesday (1/29) after monitors briefly indicated a higher than normal radioactive gas release from the Unit 1 turbine building vent.

"The release was for a short period of time after which monitor readings returned to normal and have remained there," Herbert D. Woodeshick, special assistant to the president for PPL Susquehanna. "The safety of the general public is not threatened and no action by the general public is required based on current plant conditions."

An unusual event means a minor problem has occurred at the plant that could reduce plant safety. It is the lowest of the four emergency classifications established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants.

Plant personnel are investigating the cause of the incident, Woodeshick said. Both units of the two-unit plant continue to run at full power.

PPL has notified Luzerne and Columbia county emergency management agencies, as well as the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, which are coordinating support services as needed. The company also has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

PPL has activated its Media Operations Center at the Susquehanna Energy Information Center along Route 11, seven miles north of Berwick. The phone number is 570-759-2285.

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.