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SALEM TWP. — A brief maintenance outage is being planned at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant within the next few weeks, according to a press release.
Talen Energy, owner of the plant, reports plant engineers found indications of a crack development on a single blade of the Unit 2 turbine.
“This outage will enable us to replace the blade safely and efficiently so we remain prepared to meet the regional demand for electricity, especially during the peak winter season,” said Timothy S. Rausch, Talen Energy senior vice president and chief nuclear officer.
The power plant is in the process of a multi-year, systematic turbine blade modification and replacement project.
According to Todd Martin, manager of media relations for Talen, the project dates back to Talen Energy finding indications of cracking in 2011.
The blade being fixed during the outage is in the low pressure part of the turbine, Martin confirmed.
Martin corroborated the release, noting the final, permanent modifications on the turbines will be completed during the turbine’s next scheduled refuelling outage — Unit 2 in 2017 and Unit 1 in 2018.
Currently, Martin said, there are no crack indications on the Unit 1 blades.
“We’ve completely analyzed the project,” Martin said, noting the project needs to be done systematically.
The Unit 2 reactor was manually shut down for a weekend in May for a fault in the electrical distribution center. An investigation by the plant’s professionals determined the reason for the shutdown was a short in a breaker that supplies power to a ventilation fan.
Talen will alert members of the public to the actual date of shut down and connection to the grid, Martin said.