India is likely to announce locations for two nuclear power plants, which would be made available to the American companies, during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to New Delhi next month, a top Obama Administration has said.
Clinton, who is recovering from surgery of her right elbow, is scheduled to visit India next month, which officials of the Obama Administration say would be the launching pad to take the Indo-US relationship to a new level in the next few years. Dates of her visit have not been announced yet.
"We hope, at that time, Indians will be in a position to announce whereabouts of the nuclear parks — we hope to have two sites that would be announced, where American companies can go in and provide new reactors, which would be a major source of new business opportunities for American companies," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said yesterday.
Blake was responding to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson about the latest status of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement, which was inked between the two counties last year.
"We are making a great deal of progress. We are most of the way there now. India, as you know, just signed their additional protocol, and now they have got to file with the IAEA (international Atomic Energy Agency) the list of their safeguarded facilities," Blake said.
The US is also hoping to see action on nuclear liability legislation that would reduce liability for American companies and allow them to invest in India, he said.
Congressman Wilson said nuclear deal is good for both India and the United States.