BERWICK, Pa., Dec. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Unit 2 at the PPL Susquehanna nuclear power plant automatically shut down early Sunday morning (12/16) during routine testing of a valve on the unit's main turbine system.

Operators have confirmed all systems responded as expected and the reactor is in a safe and stable condition. Susquehanna employees are investigating why the testing caused the shutdown.

"We regularly test and evaluate the condition of plant systems and equipment," said Timothy S. Rausch, PPL Susquehanna senior vice president and chief nuclear officer. "The Unit 2 reactor automatically shut down during one of these planned tests. Our operators followed established procedures to keep the unit in a safe and stable condition."

Unit 1 is operating safely at full power.

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 LLC.

PPL Susquehanna LLC is one of PPL Corporation's generating affiliates. Headquartered in Allentown, Pa., PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) owns or controls through its subsidiaries about 19,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets, and delivers electricity and natural gas to about 10 million customers in the United States and the United Kingdom. More information is available at www.pplweb.com.

SOURCE PPL Susquehanna