Indian Atomic Power station functioning normal, but on alert: Official

Operations at Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam near Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu, continued to function normally, even as coastal areas in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh has been put on alert following a massive quake hitting Indonesia.

‘We were to halt operations following the Tsunami alert. But, after checking with authorities in Andamans, we continued with the operations at the plant,’ said K Ramamurthy, MAPS Station Director, pti reported. However, the plant is on high alert, he said.

Two units with a capacity of 220 MW each are producing electricity at MAPS, adjoining Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) in the nuclear complex some 80 km from Chennai.

India Wednesday issued a tsunami warning for Nicobar islands and alerted the coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh after an earthquake of 8.9 magnitude hit waters off western coast of northern Sumatra.