Washington (PTI): The United States is dispatching its largest ever trade mission of commercial nuclear businessmen to India early next week to make a pitch for multi-billion dollar sales of reactors to New Delhi.

The 50-membered high-level delegation, representing more than 30 of the world's leading commercial nuclear companies, is scheduled to tour India from December 2, as India plans to set up new reactors after getting an NSG waiver on nuclear commerce.

India plans to import eight 1,000-MW nuclear-powered reactors by 2012 and the U.S. hopes to win at least two contracts, which it feels will significantly boost its atomic industry.

The envisaged sale of at least two reactors, to what it calls "lucrative and growing Indian market", would create 3,000-5,000 direct jobs and 10,000-15,000 indirect jobs in the U.S. nuclear industry, the U.S. Department of State had said.

Led by Jack Fuller, the CEO of GE-Hitachi, which is the world's leading provider of advanced reactors, nuclear fuel and services, the contingent also includes Westinghouse Electric Company, another world leader in commercial reactors.

Starting from New Delhi, the mission, under the aegis of U.S. India Business Council (USIBC) and Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) will travel to Hyderabad and Mumbai to meet Indian government officials, top executives of leading public-sector undertakings as well as senior executives from India's rising global companies.

The U.S. companies would be in stiff competition with French and Russian reactor builders for the lucrative Indian contract.

"We are coming to India to learn how U.S. commercial nuclear suppliers can continue our partnership with India in the expansion of nuclear power," USIBC Director Ted Jones said, adding, "We want to partner India both here and around the world".

"That vision, supported by India's partners, put an end to India's nuclear isolation and made U.S.-India commercial nuclear trade possible," Jones said.

The USIBC was formed in 1975 under the aegis of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and represents 300 of the largest U.S. companies investing in India.

With 27 per cent of the world's total installed capacity and nearly double the number of reactors as France, America is the largest generator of electric power in the world, the USIBC said.

Washington also produces at roughly half to one-third of the cost in other major countries, it claimed.

"Through the USIBC-led Coalition for Partnership with India, U.S. industry joined with Indian Americans and policy experts to win final approval by the U.S. Congress for ending India's nuclear isolation," the organisation said.

The bilateral 123 Agreement was formally signed by Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on October 9.