Unit 2 at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, shut down on Wednesday 30 May for a planned inspection of its turbine.
Workers will inspect turbine blades from the unit 2 low-pressure turbine for indications of cracking following the discovery of cracks during recent inspections of the unit 1 turbine, according to PPL Corporation, which operates the plant. The cracks on the unit 1 turbine were similar to, but less extensive than, those discovered and repaired on both turbines in 2011.
"We are prepared to perform the inspection and any turbine blade replacements that may be needed for the continued safe operation of the unit," said Timothy S. Rausch, PPL Susquehanna senior vice president and chief nuclear officer.
Workers also will install additional diagnostic equipment on the turbine to complement the equipment installed in 2011. PPL will use the data from the equipment to validate the suspected causes of the turbine blade cracking currently under engineering review.
PPL Corporation previously announced that the financial impact of the additional turbine work on both unit 1 and unit 2 at the Susquehanna plant, including energy sales margins and repair costs, is not expected to be material.
