Hitachi, GE to build two U.S. nuclear plants

Hitachi Ltd. and General Electric have been tapped to build two nuclear reactors in the U.S. in a $5.2 billion project that underlines how soaring oil prices are boosting global interest in nuclear power.

The deal, confirmed by Hitachi on Friday for reactors outside Houston, for American power supplier NRG Energy Inc., is also likely to help the Japanese electronics and power plant manufacturer compete better against rivals.

Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. recently purchased Westinghouse Electric Co. of the United States, striving to become the world’s No. 1 nuclear power company.

Hitachi said details were being worked out with Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co., a conglomerate whose businesses span energy, jet engines and financial services. A final contract is expected in 2007 or 2008, and the reactors are to start operating by 2014.

Surging oil prices have been adding to the appeal of nuclear power despite safety concerns. Proponents have been trying to improve the negative image of nuclear power created by accidents such as the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania in 1979.

The world’s nuclear power giants are counting on growing demand not only in the United States but also in China, where the power market is expected to balloon.

Last year, President Bush signed an energy bill that provides incentives to build new nuclear power plants in the U.S.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

There are 100 nuclear power plants scattered across 31 states, but an order has not been placed for a new reactor since 1973. The United States now gets about 20 percent of its electricity from nuclear reactors.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

In the fiscal year that ended in March, Hitachi’s sales in its electric power facilities and equipment business totaled 558 billion yen ($4.8 billion). Sales from its nuclear power business accounted for about 30 percent of that.

The reactors are part of a $16 billion outlay announced Wednesday by NRG Energy. Together, the projects will add 10,500 megawatts of new generating capacity to the company.

NRG generates more than 24,700 megawatts, mostly in Texas and the Northeast, South Central and Western regions of the United States. It also owns stakes in Australian and German plants. A megawatt is enough power to serve between 700 and 1,000 homes.