ALLENTOWN, Pa., Jan. 1, 2001 (PRNewswire) — PPL's Susquehanna nuclear plant produced more electricity in 2000 than it has in any year since the plant began operation in 1983.

The two-unit, Luzerne County, Pa. plant generated more than 17.5 billion kilowatt-hours in 2000, breaking the previous record, set in 1996, by 3.8 percent.

"This record is tribute to the outstanding efforts of nearly 1,400 employees who are dedicated to ensuring that PPL Susquehanna is one of the best operating and safest nuclear power plants in the country," said Herbert D. Woodeshick, special assistant to the president.

Woodeshick noted that 1 billion kilowatt-hours is enough electricity to provide for the annual needs of 100,000 households in the eastern U.S., where PPL Susquehanna's electricity is marketed.

Susquehanna had only one unscheduled outage in 2000. "Focusing on safety and equipment reliability results in improved generating performance," Woodeshick said. "Our philosophy always has been to focus on safety. This achievement shows that we're making progress, but there's always room for improvement."

PPL Susquehanna, LLC operates the Susquehanna plant and owns 90 percent of it; Allegheny Electric Cooperative Inc. owns the remaining 10 percent. PPL Susquehanna is a subsidiary of PPL Generation, which operates nearly 10,000 megawatts of generating capacity in Pennsylvania, Maine and Montana.

PPL also is developing another 4,100 megawatts of capacity in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Arizona and Washington state.

The PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies also markets wholesale or retail energy in 42 U.S. states and Canada, and delivers electricity to nearly 6 million customers in Pennsylvania, in the United Kingdom and in Latin America.