The second unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) has been shut down due to water and steam leakage, an official said on Saturday.

The plant's operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said the Unit-II is likely to restart on May 11.

"The unit was shut down due to steam and water leakage. We have to first cool the reactor and then set right the system," H.N. Sahu, Site Director, KNPP told IANS over phone from Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district around 650 km from here.

The NPCIL has two 1,000 MW nuclear power plants at KNPP built with Russian equipment.

The first unit was shut down on April 13, for annual maintenance and refuelling, a process that would take around two months.