US, India pushing civil nuclear partnership to "new levels" with private sector focus: Sergio Gor

Addressing business leaders, Gor said the two countries are "pushing our Civil Nuclear sector partnership to new levels" and described the civil nuclear sector as a "very big growth area over the next few years." He noted that his mission recently hosted member companies of the US Nuclear Energy Institute in India "to share how a vibrant private sector-led civil nuclear industry can contribute to safe and secure civil nuclear power meeting India's projected power demand that fuels its economic growth."

According to Gor, the focus of the collaboration is on leveraging private sector capabilities to expand India's nuclear capacity. "We're looking forward to decades of future cooperation between our civil nuclear sectors," he said. The ambassador stressed that such long-term investments will require support from the financial services sector and American businesses, framing it as a "win-win situation" for both economies.

The comments come as the US and India expand the TRUST Initiative launched in February 2025, which targets strategic technologies including AI, semiconductors, quantum computing and critical minerals. Gor linked nuclear energy to the broader goal of securing trusted supply chains for advanced technology and energy. "Together, we will undertake efforts to protect sensitive supply chains from coercive market practices and reduce our collective vulnerability to single source monopolies," he said, referring to the recently signed US-India Critical Minerals Framework.

Gor also pointed to high-level engagement as a signal of Washington's commitment to the partnership, noting visits by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other cabinet officials. He quoted Secretary Rubio's remarks at the 'Freedom 250' event: "If I think about all of the key issues and all of the key opportunities of the modern economy, India and the United States together, are perfectly positioned to work together on these issues to achieve a better life for the people of the United States, for the people of India."

With India's power demand projected to rise sharply, Gor said the civil nuclear roadmap envisions decades of cooperation, anchored by private sector participation, investment from financial institutions, and joint work by US and Indian entrepreneurs. The Embassy, he added, is taking a "results driven" approach to identify sectoral opportunities that benefit both nations. (ANI)