Despite the fact that it has not changed its nuclear liability law, adjusted the law's implementing rules, or ratified the CSC treaty to please nuclear suppliers, India appears to be preparing for the construction of reactors by US-Japanese nuclear vendors Westinghouse and GE-Hitachi.

Perhaps India is very optimistic about the effectiveness of the new "India-US joint working group (JWG)," which India Today on January 1 reported would have its first meeting in the US on a yet-to-be-determined date "in an attempt to untie the knot created by the civil nuclear liability law and guidelines that have stalled participation of American nuclear firms in India's lucrative market." P K Sundaram, writing for anti-nuclear website dianuke.org, certainly seems worried that the "JWG" will succeed.

India's Business Standard newspaper on January 10 quoted the head of state-owned nuclear monopoly NPC as saying, “The US nuclear safety regulator has given its certification for the AP1000 reactors of Westinghouse. This paves the way for NPC to pursue techno-commercial talks." This makes it sound as if it were India holding an eager Westinghouse. India and Westinghouse have been discussing a 6,000 MW plant at Mithi Virdi in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district.

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