Hitachi, GE to develop mid-size nuclear reactors

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 Uranaka)