India’s federal government says it’s ready to discuss a nuclear bill with opposition parties.

The controversy… the bill limits nuclear firms' liability in the case of industrial accidents.

Opposition parties say the bill favors private players because it would only hold them accountable for $450 million if there was a major reactor disaster. Also controversial… private suppliers and nuclear contractors would not be held accountable for compensating those affected by a disaster.

India’s federal government says it is open to discuss the bill with the opposition.

[Prithviraj Chavan, Indian Minister of Science and Technology]:

"My only request to all my friends in the opposition, let us discuss in the open manner, let's publicly discuss it, let us discuss it in a closed room if they want. But let us look at the merits, the philosophy, the principles, why we are trying to bring it." 

The bill is imperative for private U.S. firms reluctant to do business in India.

[Prithviraj Chavan, Indian Minister of Science and Technology]:

"The compensation amount can be discussed, can be discussed, but it is a balanced with what type of the compensation amount through out the world and it somewhere in the middle, it is not as high as some countries, nor it is as low as some countries. The compensation amount, we are insisting that operator must take insurance. So, if we set up unreasonably high compensation amount, the insurance cost comes in, the cost of power goes up.”

India is looking into building two nuclear power plants, a business opportunity worth 10 billion U.S. dollars to American firms.

But the liability issue has delayed things, putting the U.S. firms at a competitive disadvantage over Russian and French firms whose accident liability is underwritten by their governments.