BERWICK, Pa., March 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Operators at Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear power plant disconnected the Unit 1 reactor from the electrical grid late Friday, March 11 into early Saturday, March 12 to begin a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage.
While the reactor is shut down, Susquehanna's nuclear professionals will maintain their primary focus on safety, while replacing more than a third of the unit's fuel. "Our continued investment in Susquehanna ensures plant safety, reliability and value to our customers and investors in Talen Energy," said Jon Franke, site vice president. "We have developed the right plan to upgrade essential equipment, inspect our main generator and perform thousands of necessary maintenance activities to build on our track record of operational excellence that enabled Susquehanna to generate more than 20 million megawatt-hours, a single-year plant record, in 2015."
In order to complete the work in Susquehanna's outage plan, the company has made a significant investment in our local economy by procuring goods and services from area suppliers. Additionally, Susquehanna hired more than 1,500 supplemental employees who will be making significant expenditures on lodging, food and entertainment in the region.
Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear schedules refueling and maintenance outages at this time of year, when seasonal temperatures typically drive lower regional power demand and lower electricity prices. Each of the two units at the Susquehanna plant is taken out of service for refueling and maintenance every 24 months.
Unit 2 continues to operate at full power.
The Susquehanna plant, located about seven miles north of Berwick, is owned jointly by Susquehanna Nuclear LLC and Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc. and is operated by Susquehanna Nuclear. For information, visit www.susquehannanuclear.com.
Susquehanna Nuclear LLC is one of Talen Energy Corporation's generating affiliates. Talen Energy (NYSE: TLN), is one of the largest competitive energy and power generation companies in the United States. Our diverse generating fleet operates in well-developed, structured wholesale power markets. To learn more about us, visit www.talenenergy.com.
Media contact: Todd L. Martin
(570) 542-2881
todd.martin@talenenergy.com
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SOURCE Talen Energy Susquehanna Nuclear LLC