Hitachi, GE to develop mid-size nuclear reactors (at Reuters)

TOKYO, July 23 (Reuters) - Japan's Hitachi Ltd (6501.T: ) said on Wednesday it will develop mid-size nuclear reactors together with General Electric Co (GE.N: ) to tap growing demand for smaller nuclear power plants in Southeast Asia and other emerging markets. The two firms have started marketing the mid-size nuclear reactors and hope to land the first orders in the early 2010s, a Hitachi spokesman said. The reactors are expected to be priced at 200-300 billion yen ($1.9-$2.8 billion). The two firms plan to supply reactors with output of less than 1,000 megawatts to Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and other countries considering building their first nuclear power plants. A 1,000 megawatt plant is generally seen to be able to supply electricity to 1 million households. (Reporting by Mayumi Negishi and Taiga... [read full story]