Unit 1 at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., resumed generating electricity for customers late Wednesday (4/16) after a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage was completed successfully.

“During this outage, which started March 4, workers replaced about 40 percent of the uranium fuel and completed a large number of equipment maintenance tasks and upgrades that will ensure Unit 1 continues to operate safely and reliably,” said Neil Gannon, vice president of Nuclear Operations for PPL Susquehanna.

Gannon said the upgrades included replacing the unit’s high-pressure turbine rotor and its steam dryer, which is located in the reactor above the fuel core. The steam dryer helps to remove more than 99 percent of the moisture in the steam that turns the turbine to generate electricity. If not removed, the moisture would damage the turbine’s blades.

PPL schedules refueling and maintenance outages for one of the two units at the Susquehanna plant every year.

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

PPL Susquehanna is one of PPL Corporation’s generating facilities. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) controls more than 11,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to about 4 million customers in Pennsylvania and the United Kingdom.