MAPS' 2nd unit to restart end September

India's atomic power plant operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), will restart the second unit at the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) by the end of this month after installing a new transformer, said a senior official.

"We have received a new transformer at our place during the first week of this month. If everything goes well, then the power from the second unit should start flowing in 15 days time," the official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

The MAPS, run by NPCIL, has two reactors of 220 MW each at Kalpakkam, around 70 km from here.

Both units have been functioning below their rated capacity owing to paucity of fuel.

On April 15, when the second reactor was operating at 110 MW, the unit tripped due to a fault in the generator transformer's high-voltage bushing, and the reactor was shut down.

The unit was restarted prior to that after a 40-day maintenance shutdown.

Due to the generator transformer failure, the reactor turbine stopped and the reactor was gradually shut down, following due procedure.

The NPCIL had placed an order for new transformer with the Kochi-based Transformers and Electricals Kerala Ltd. (TELK) which, according to the official, has supplied it ahead of the expected date.

The cost of replacing the transformer will be around Rs.8 crore.

"We will have to get the AERB's (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board) sanction before restarting the unit," the official said, adding the first unit is operating normally, feeding 170 MW to the grid.