The deals were firmed up during the recent world energy congress at Houston in the US, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, who made a stopover here on his way back after attending the meeting, told PTI.

Describing the deals as "a major breakthrough for the state," Munde said enhanced power generation in Maharashtra would pave the way for expansion of infrastructure and intensive industrialisation.

Under the MoU with Enron, the US company would make up for the shortfall in LPG supply from Bombay high for the Uran project. Universal Electricals has been awarded the contract for expansion and upgradation of the Nasik and Bhuvsal Karodi thermal projects which currently were working with a plant load factorof only 50 per cent of the installed 250mw capacity, Munde said.

The Uran upgradation and supply of LPG would be the second major project for Enron in Maharashtra. The US multinational is already building India's biggest 2,450 mw power plant at Dabhol at an investment of over $2.5 billion

Expansion of the Uran gas-based power project, located just outside Mumbai was to raise the capacity from the existing 1,000 mw to 2,170 mw at an investment of nearly $80 million, Munde said.

The modernisation of the Nasik and Bhuvsal Karodi thermal project would involve an investment of about $100 million in two stages -- to bring the generation to its full capacity of 250 mw and then raise it subsequently to 300 mw.

The deputy chief minister said that during meetings a number of other American power giants had evinced keen interest in taking up power transmission and distribution projects in the state. " We have told them we would seriously consider their proposals for quick clearance."

Munde said another MoU hadbeen finalised with US-based non resident Indian group run by Karngimilan Computer University to set up India's first ever computer software and technology university at Pune, specialising in information technology.

Munde, who held a number of meetings on the fringes of the energy congress, said he had taken up with American businessmen the state government's ambitious project to set up a technology park in Pune.

Munde was part of the Indian delegation led by energy minister P R Kumaramanglam and which also included coal minister Dilip Ray.

He was accompanied by state chief secretary C S Subramaniam, state energy secretary Tripathi and chairman and officials of state electricity boards. Munde who addressed a number of meetings in new York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas in Texas said a number of US agro industrialists specially dealing in food processing, floriculture and agro-based universities would attend the `Maharashtra Agro Advantage International Fair' being held in Mumbai from November six tonine.

Referring to the extradition of music director Nadeem for his alleged involvement in the killing of music baron Gulshan Kumar, the Maharashtra deputy chief minister asserted "we are very confident of it coming through". Refusing to elaborate on the issue, Munde said "I would not like to comment as the case is sub judice here as well as in India."