SALEM TOWNSHIP — An “unusual event” was declared at the Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick Sunday morning, according to a PPL news release.
Company officials say water leaked inside a room in the plant’s Unit 2 reactor building and the unit was shut down around 11:30 a.m. Crews were able to quickly stop the leak which was contained to one room and the “unusual event” ended just before 4:00 p.m.
“An unusual event is the lowest of the four emergency classifications established by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for nuclear power plants,” said the release from PPL. “The event had no effect on public safety and required no public action.”
Unit 2 was shut down Saturday for an inspection and remains shut down, said PPL officials.
“We have traced the cause of the water leak to a valve on one of the plant’s multiple cooling systems. Other cooling systems were operational throughout the event. In keeping with our philosophy of operating the plant safely and conservatively, we will conduct a full investigation of this incident and make any necessary changes to be sure it does not recur,” said Timothy S. Rausch, senior vice president and Chief Nuclear Officer for PPL Susquehanna.
Local and state emergency management agencies were notified, according to the release.
