Thursday, December 30 2004 19:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has cleared Unit-2 of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam, about 75-km from Chennai, for resumption of power generation.

The unit had been shut down after seawater entered into the pump house following the Tsunami on December 26. Unit-1 had been shutdown sometime back for refurbishment.

AERB secretary Dr Om Pal Singh said in Chennai in a release today that a five-member senior level team had inspected the nuclear facilities at Kalpakkam, including the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), and it was observed that there had been no impact on these facilities.

When the tidal waves struck the Kalpakkam coast, Unit-2 was operating at its authorised power, but when water entered the pump house, it "tripped and the reactor was brought to a safe shutdown state," he said.