BEIJING, Sept 2 (Reuters) - China and Russia have agreed to
expand nuclear power cooperation in seven areas, including
building floating nuclear power plants, exploring uranium mines,
eliminating old plants and developing markets abroad, the China
Atomic Energy Authority said.

They will also cooperate on molten-core catcher technologies,
which improve nuclear safety, the authority said in a statement
on its website (www.caea.gov.cn), after a meeting of Russian and
Chinese government officials and industry executives.

It did not elaborate.

China is interested in Russia's expertise on floating nuclear
power plants, and both sides will set up groups to assess
prospects in the area, Interfax news agency has reported, citing
Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Russia's state nuclear energy
corporation, Rosatom.

They also reached agreement on Russia's involvement in the
construction of two fast-neutron reactors in China, while a
contract to add two nuclear power generating units at the Tianwan
nuclear power plant could also be signed before the end of this
year or in the first quarter of 2011, Kiriyenko was quoted as
saying.

Tianwan, the first Chinese nuclear power plant using Russian
technology, started commercial operation of its first generating
unit in 2006 and the second in 2007.

China is making a big push for nuclear power and other
alternative energy sources to reduce its over-reliance on dirty
coal. It is building more nuclear power plants than any country
in the world and has become a test ground for different nuclear
technologies from France, Canada, Russia and the United States.

For a factbox of China's nuclear power plants and plan,
click:[ID:nTOE66S089]

(Reporting by Jim Bai and Tom Miles; Editing by Ken Wills)