The first unit of the Kundankulam nuclear power project is expected to start generating electricity in the next 40 days, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy said on Monday.

He said the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) officials were at the Kudankulam project site and inspecting the plant.

"The first reactor of 1000 MW will be operational within 40 days from Monday," Narayanasamy told reporters here.

He said the AERB was expected to give its certification to the plant in about a week after which uranium -- the fuel for power generation -- will be loaded in the plant.

"We will have a trial run for 20 days after which the first reactor will start generating power," Narayanasamy said, adding the second unit of 1000 MW was expected to be commissioned within two months of the first one.

He said over 2000 engineers, from India and Russia, were working day and night for the purpose of power generation from the project.

"We are fast moving into the direction of generating electricity from Kundankulam Nuclear Power Project," he said.

The Tamil Nadu government was cooperating with the Centre with regards to the project, Narayanasamy said.

The Rs 15,824-crore project had witnessed eight-month- long protests from anti-nuclear power groups and some locals who had apprehensions on the safety aspects of the plant.

The work on the plant was suspended in October last year soon after the hot-run which a process to test the reactor systems and pipelines using dummy fuel.