USIBC to Launch Largest Ever Commercial Nuclear Mission to India

Friday, Nov 28, 2008

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), in partnership with the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and with certification by the U.S. Department of Commerce, will lead, from December 2-9, the largest trade mission of U.S. commercial nuclear executives ever to visit India. The Delegation of the USIBC-NEI Commercial Nuclear Mission will include more than 50 senior executives representing more than 30 of the world’s leading commercial nuclear companies. Jack Fuller, CEO of GE-Hitachi, will be the official Mission Leader. Westinghouse Electric Company, the other world leader in commercial reactors, will also have senior executives in the Delegation.

The USIBC-NEI Mission will arrive in India just two months after the historic opening of India to civilian nuclear trade with the U.S. and the world. Announced on July 18, 2005 during the celebrated Washington visit of PM Manmohan Singh, the U.S.-India nuclear deal was finally consummated with the signing, on October 9, of the U.S.-India 123 Agreement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee. The inking of the bilateral 123 Agreement capped a whirl of approvals – from the Indian Government’s successful trust vote on July 20 to unanimous nods by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Suppliers Group in September, to a final triumph in the U.S. Congress in early October.

The USIBC-NEI Delegation will meet with senior Government of India officials, the leaders of India’s top public-sector undertakings, and senior executive counterparts from India’s rising global companies. Starting in New Delhi, the Mission will travel to Hyderabad and then Mumbai.

“We applaud the visionary and courageous leadership of India’s political leaders,” said USIBC President Ron Somers. “That vision, supported by India’s partners, put an end to India’s nuclear isolation and made U.S.-India commercial nuclear trade possible.”

“We are coming to India to learn how U.S. commercial nuclear suppliers can continue our partnership with India in the expansion of nuclear power,” added USIBC Director Ted Jones. “We want to partner with India both here and around the world.”

The U.S. commercial nuclear industry leads the world in size, performance, innovation, and engineering worldwide. The U.S. 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.

Source: MarketWatch