US nuclear mission to visit India
Tuesday, Jan 06, 2009

Your Industry News
The Americans are coming. India is to receive its first commercial nuclear mission after the signing of its historic nuclear deal with the US on October 11, 2008 in Washington. The intent of this visit is to establish an advantage in the projected $150 billion business potential with India.

It is learnt that the US India Business Council (USIBC) and NEI is bringing the largest trade mission ever to visit India over the next few days. While details of the delegations agenda while in India are still under wraps, it is expected that it will meet with senior Indian government officials, the leaders of India's top public-sector undertakings, and senior executive counterparts from Indian companies.

The mission includes over 50 senior US commercial nuclear executives representing more than 30 of the world's leading commercial nuclear companies including General Electric, Westinghouse, Bechtel Nuclear, The Shaw Group, Babcock &Wilcox, Black & Veatch, CH2M Hill, Uranium One, Thorium Power, and USEC, among others.

The Indo-US nuke deal was historic, marking the end of 34 years of US sanctions on nuclear trade with India, as well as a turning point in the bilateral relationship of these two democracies.

The landmark deal also unleashes billions of dollars of investment between India and the West. According to the CII, the agreement could open up around $27 billion in investments in 18-20 nuclear plants over the next 15 years, while lobby group Imagindia Institute has said the overall economic benefits accruing to India's economy as a result of nuclear trade could touch $500 billion by 2030.

According to a Reuters report, the deal is expected to double nuclear power's share in India's electricity supply to upto 7% in the next two decades. With nuclear fuel in short supply, India's nuclear power plants are running at 55% of their capacity of about 4,000 megawatts.

India's electricity supply, about 15% short of demand in peak hours is also expected to get a boost, but any new nuclear power plant may take a decade to be completed, leaving the country dependent of coal and liquid fuels.

Formed in 1975 under the aegis of the US Chamber of Commerce, USIBC is a business advocacy organisation representing 300 of the largest US companies investing in India, joined by global Indian companies, seeking deeper US-India commercial ties.

The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) is the policy organisation of the nuclear energy and technologies industry that seeks to ensure the formation of policies promoting the beneficial uses of nuclear energy and technologies in the US and around the world.

According to the USIBC, the US commercial nuclear industry leads the world in size, performance, innovation, and engineering worldwide. The US is the largest generator of electric power in the world with 27% of the world's total installed capacity and nearly double the number of reactors as France.