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GE Energy to supply monitoring, control systems to Susquehanna nuclear power plant

04/26/2005

E Energy’s nuclear business has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to upgrade monitoring and control systems at PPL’s Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick, Pa. GE is supplying PPL Susquehanna with its Power Range Neutron Monitor (PRNM) system, based on GE’s high-speed digital technology. It will upgrade Susquehanna’s original power monitoring equipment.

The primary function of the PRNM is to monitor the reactor power level and initiate automatic protective actions to ensure compliance with plant safety limits. The system collects and processes signals from in-core detectors and communicates with the core-monitoring computer, display computer and other plant systems.

The contract includes design, hardware and software, engineering, licensing support, operator display assemblies, installation support and training.

“GE is responding to a growing demand for its digital monitoring and control systems as operators in the United States and around the world seek to upgrade their existing reactors,.” said Andy White, President and CEO of GE Energy’s nuclear business.

Susquehanna, a two-unit, 2,352-megawatt boiling water reactor (BWR) station, is owned by PPL Susquehanna and the Allegheny Electric Cooperative. The station is located on 2,100 acres along the Susquehanna River in Salem Township, Luzerne County, 25 miles southwest of Wilkes-Barre.

Susquehanna’s two reactors are among the 103 units currently operating in the United States. GE is the plant’s original equipment manufacturer. Unit 1 began commercial operations in 1983 and Unit 2 in 1985.

The PRNM system will be installed in Unit 1 in March 2006, during the reactor’s biannual refueling and maintenance outage. The new system will then be installed in Unit 2 in March 2007, during that reactor’s scheduled outage.