Chennai, 30 December: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) of India has cleared Unit-2 of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam for resumption of power generation.

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

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, AERB secretary Dr Om Pal Singh said here in a release Thursday [30 December].

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