Russia is seeking to obtain the right to build the third and fourth generating units of China's Tianwan nuclear plant though this "is not so easy," Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAEA) chief Alexander Rumyantsev said on Wednesday.

The first generating unit at Tianwan, where Russian company Atomstroyexport is the general contractor, is to be launched late in 2005 or early in 2006, Rumyantsev was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

According to Rumyantsev, given its fast economic growth, China would be able to develop its own nuclear technologies in seven to 10 years' time. This would preclude long-term Russian presence in the Chinese market, he hinted.

Russian companies intend to bid for all projects to build nuclear power plants abroad, and it is Russia's strategic plan to build up exports of nuclear fuel, the Interfax quoted the FAEA chief as saying.

Russia is building two generating units in India, which are going in operation in 2007 or 2008.

But as India is not a signatory to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons it is also questionable whether Russia can expand its presence in the Indian nuclear market, and so there are international restrictions on its nuclear imports.

Meanwhile, Russia is bidding for a nuclear power plant to be built in Bulgaria, Rumyantsev said.

Source: Xinhua