Sharp: to start output at LCD panel plant in Oct

TOKYO, April 8 (Reuters) - Japan's Sharp Corp (6753.T), the world's third-largest LCD TV maker, said it would start output at its new 380 billion yen ($3.8 billion) LCD panel plant in western Japan in October.

Sharp had previously said it would begin production at the plant by March 2010.

The plant will process so-called 10th-generation glass substrates, which are bigger than earlier-generation substrates and help reduce per-panel production costs.

Sharp said the plant would have an initial capacity to handle 36,000 glass substrates a month, which will eventually be doubled to 72,000 units. (Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka)