WASHINGTON, Nov 25: The United States is sending the largest-ever trade mission to India next week mainly to explore possibilities for benefiting from the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The US Department of Commerce said on Friday its Undersecretary for International Trade Franklin Lavin would lead a delegation of 238 business leaders representing 186 companies to a business summit in Mumbai on Nov 28.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Confederation of Indian Industry have jointly organised this summit for interacting with the chief executive officers of American companies and organisations engaged in nuclear trade.

US companies are clamouring to break into India’s nuclear energy market – forecast to be worth $100 billion. Last week, the US Senate overwhelmingly approved the India nuclear deal, triggering a race for the lucrative Indian market.

President George Bush is expected to sign the deal into a law sometime next month after a joint congressional session also puts its seal of approval.

Ron Somers, president of the US-India Business Council, says that while American businessmen will focus on nuclear energy, the deal `goes far beyond nuclear reactors’.

Mr Somers told reporters that his Washington-based advocacy group, which campaigned vigorously for the deal, has `ripped the lid off so the market can grow at a much faster pace’.

He noted that only two dozen of the 238 business leaders participating in the Mumbai summit represent energy interests. Others are from across a range of sectors, from IT to manufacturing to entertainment.

Although fewer in number, companies attending the trade summit represent some of the heavyweights of the world’s energy sector such as GE, Westinghouse, Bechtel, United Technologies, Thorium Power, US Enrichment Corporation and Fluor.

India's power generation capacity stands at 132,000mw, but it is seeking to add 100,000mw from conventional energy sources to sustain economic growth running at eight per cent a year.

Nuclear energy could provide a further 60,000mw.

US India-Business Council estimates that India will spend as much as $500 billion over the next decade on the energy sector and related development. Besides providing energy to its domestic and industrial consumers, India will also need to build infrastructure crucial to boosting its industry. These include building and expanding ports, airports, roads and railways.

India will build 30 more reactors of 1,000 megawatts each to meet revised targets of nuclear power generation. India already has announced a plan to spend more than $40 billion for this purpose.

Seven reactors are under construction in India, the highest number in the world. Government-run agencies are looking to mark out coastal sites for 1,000-1,650mw reactors for the future. Every new site will have the potential to hold a cluster of reactors producing a total of 6,000-10,000mw.

New Delhi is also working on amending the Atomic Energy Act to facilitate the private sector’s participation in nuclear-power production. Many Indian private companies, including Reliance and Tata, have also expressed interest in building nuclear plants.