Thaindian News

New Delhi, Feb 7 (IANS) A high level delegation from the US energy department is on a 10-day visit to India to discuss ways of cooperation and partnership in the nuclear energy sector, the US embassy said Monday. Representatives from the US department of energy are visiting India to learn more about the country’s nuclear energy community and identify nuclear development opportunities and partnerships that will benefit both countries, according to a statement released by the embassy here.

During the visit, representatives from Idaho National Laboratory (INL), the US government’s lead nuclear engineering and science laboratory, will interact with leaders and researchers in the government, industry and academia.

“All advanced nuclear energy nations benefit by understanding each other’s nuclear enterprises and collaborating where appropriate,” said Idaho National Laboratory director and delegation head John Grossenbacher.

During the visit, the US delegation will meet representatives of higher education at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, Department of Atomic Energy and its two nuclear energy laboratories — the Nuclear Power Corp of India and National Thermal Power Corp.

Idaho National Laboratory, which represented the US energy department during negotiations of the 123 Agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation, hosted the first India-US working group meeting and arranged for the US technical support of the working group’s second meeting in January 2010 in Mumbai.