Susquehanna nuclear plant's Unit 1 reactor back up and running

Unit 1 at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick, Pennsylvania, was reconnected to the regional power grid this week after a scheduled outage for maintenance and other work.

During the outage, staff at the plant took on maintenance tasks that cannot be completed while the facility is in operation.

"We made the choice, while the unit was out of service during a period of mild fall weather and lower wholesale power prices, to advance some maintenance tasks we had planned for the refueling outage next spring," Jon Franke, the Susquehanna plant's vice president, said. "Completing that work now enhances the unit's reliability for the coming winter, when demand for electricity is increased."

The main reason for the shutdown was a steam valve that closed at the wrong time during a routine equipment test. This was later found to be an electrical issue that has since been fixed by staff at the plant.

During the outage, the second unit at the facility remained in operation with no issues.

The facility is capable of producing approximately 2,600 megawatts of electricity between its two nuclear reactors at full capacity. The facility’s co-owner and operator, Susquehanna Nuclear, LLC, is an affiliate of Talen Energy Corp.