The envisaged sale of at least two reactors, to what it calls ‘lucrative and growing Indian market’, would create 3000-5000 direct jobs and 10,000-15,000 indirect jobs in the US nuclear industry, the US Department of State has said.

"Access to Indian nuclear infrastructure would allow US companies build reactors more competitively here and in the rest of the world -- not just India," it said in answer to questions raised by the powerful US House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Though the replies to searching spate of queries raised by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs were delivered in October, 2007, they were made public on Wednesday by the new Chairman of the panel Howard Berman just ahead of the Nuclear Suppliers Group plenary in Vienna to consider a waiver for India from its guidelines enabling atomic trade.

"We are confident that the initiative for a civil nuclear cooperation would yield important economic benefits to the US," the US State Department has told the Congress.

India currently has 15 operating nuclear power reactors with seven under construction, but ‘it intends to increase this number significantly,’ it said.

The Department's assessment says that meeting this ramp up in demand for civil nuclear reactors, technology, fuel and support services holds the promise of opening new markets for the US.

The US also feels that participation in India's emerging market will help make the American nuclear power industry globally competitive thereby benefiting its domestic nuclear power sector.

"This initiative will permit US companies to enter the lucrative and growing Indian market -- something they are currently prohibited from doing so," it said.

The State Department has listed 15 nuclear-related US firms, including giants like General Electric and Westinghouse who are ready to move to India.

The State department feels that a successfully implemented civil nuclear cooperation initiative with India will allow scientists from both the nations to work together in making nuclear energy safer, less expensive, more proliferation resistant and more efficient.

"Newly forged partnerships in the nuclear field will facilitate scientific advancement in the many facets of nuclear energy technology," it said.

The US also feels that Indian involvement in global for a such as International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor and the Generation-IV Forum can expand the potential for innovation in the future of nuclear energy as well as stake of emerging countries in developing cheaper sources of energy.

US official have also revealed that Washington may choose to allow India to participate in the future in the Department of Energy's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership and allow it to collaborate with advanced nuclear technology in developing new proliferation resistant technology.