Hitachi, GE in talks to combine nuclear power JVs: Nikkei

Hitachi Ltd (6501.T) and General Electric Co (GE.N) are considering combining their two nuclear power joint ventures under a single entity which may end up under Hitachi's control, the Nikkei business daily said.

The move comes after a dip in demand for new nuclear plants in the context of a sharp rise in shale gas production in North America and the meltdown of Japan's Fukushima reactor last year, the paper said.

GE is one of the world's top power generation engineering companies and, together with Japan's largest industrial electronics maker Hitachi, is active in designing and building nuclear reactors.

The two had, in 2007, decided to set up two joint ventures, one in Japan and one in the United States, to tap the domestic and global markets, the daily said.

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