A high-level delegation, led by Indian Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal, is currently in the
US to meet industry leaders such as Patriot Coal and Caterpillar, besides interacting with official counterparts for possible tie-ups in the coal sector.
The delegation, consisting of additional coal secretary Alok Perti, Coal India chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya and other officials, left for a week-long tour of the US on Saturday evening. They are expected to meet industry leaders and hold talks with firms such as Patriot Coal, Caterpillar, Chervon and AES over possible ventures, sources told PTI.
The delegation, which is slated to visit Washington and New York, would also hold meetings with US India Business Council (USBIC) executives. The USBIC is currently being headed by India-born PepsiCo CEO Indira Nooyi.
Besides interacting with industry giants, the minister will hold talks with his counterpart, US Energy Deputy Secretary Daniel B Poneman, to take forward tie-ups between
both the countries.
The delegation would also meet the India-US Joint Working Group (JWG) on Coal to explore mutual opportunities in the fields of coal and mining, and visit different coal mines.
Last year, Jaiswal had said that he would seek the help of US-based companies for setting up coal gasification and coal liquefaction projects in India.