The first unit of India's Russian-designed Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) was connected to the country's electric grid after a recent relaunch, a source in India's nuclear sector said Saturday.

On January 21, the first unit of the NPP was relaunched after maintenance, which had been performed after a year of successful operations starting late 2014.

"Today, at 7.12 a.m. (1.42 GMT) the first unit of Kudankulam nuclear power plant was connected to the electric grid," the source told RIA Novosti.

The construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant was initially agreed by the Soviet Union and India in 1988, but the project was in limbo until the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom relaunched the much-delayed joint project in 2012.

Kudankulam's first unit reached full capacity in July 2014, and is currently India's most powerful reactor with a maximum operating capacity of 1,000 megawatt.

The second unit is nearing completion and is expected to be launched this year. The construction of the third and the fourth units is planned for 2016.

earlier report
Rosatom Confirm Work at India's Kudankulam Nuclear Energy Plant On Schedule
Yelabuga (Sputnik) The second energy block of India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant will go on line this summer, Rosatom Deputy Director Alexander Lokshin said Friday.

"The second block [will go on line] this year, but doesn't just depend on us, it also depends on the Indians, but as far as I know, this will be according to the current plans," Lukshin told journalists in the city of Yelabuga in Russia's Republic of Tatarstan.

The Kudankulam NPP's first block went on line at the end of 2014 and is the most powerful nuclear energy facility in India and is being constructed under Russian technical assistance.

"We're not conducting the construction [of the power plant], the Indians are so they'll define the schedule, but it will be this year for certain," Lokshin added.

Source: Sputnik News