Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant Sets Generation Record in 2009

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Jan 05, 2010, 03:27 ET

BERWICK, Pa., Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the second year in a row, PPL's Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pa., has set a plant record for the amount of electricity generated.

The plant safely and reliably generated 19,492,431 megawatt-hours in 2009, beating the previous record of 19,046,288 megawatt-hours set in 2008. The electricity generated by the Susquehanna plant in 2009 is enough to power about 2 million typical homes.

Unit 1 at the plant also set its own generation record in 2009, producing 10,488,428 megawatt-hours and beating its previous record of 9,463,272 megawatt-hours set in 2007.

"Our dedicated employees, who are committed to safely and reliably operating and maintaining the Susquehanna plant, are responsible for this achievement," said Timothy S. Rausch, PPL's senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. "It's a tribute to their hard work and skill."

The Unit 2 reactor at Susquehanna ended a PPL-record 723 days of continuous operation when it shut down for refueling and maintenance in April. Only one other U.S. nuclear plant has ever generated electricity for more consecutive days. The Unit 1 reactor, which generated electricity continuously throughout 2009, has been operating for more than 500 days since its last refueling and maintenance outage in 2008.

Other milestones reached at the plant in 2009 include the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of a 20-year extension of the operating licenses for both reactors. The license for Unit 1 has been extended to 2042; the license for Unit 2 has been extended to 2044.

Also, further upgrades to Unit 2 were completed in 2009 as part of a four-year project to increase the amount of electricity the Susquehanna plant can generate.

"The upgrade, which began in 2008 and is expected to conclude in 2011, is a cost-effective, safe and reliable way for PPL to increase electricity generation from existing sources that emit no greenhouse gases," Rausch said.

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 or owns nearly 12,000 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. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.

SOURCE PPL Corporation