China sets launch date for world’s first thorium
molten salt nuclear power station
Stephen Chin

Construction of a molten salt nuclear power plant that uses thorium as fuel instead of uranium is set to begin in the Gobi Desert

The reactor does not need water for cooling because it uses liquid salt and carbon dioxide to transfer heat and generate electricity.

Using thorium as its primary fuel, it means worries over a potential shortage of uranium – the usual fuel used in nuclear reactors – are allayed, as thorium is more abundant than uranium.

According to some scientists’ estimates, China has enough thorium reserves to meet its energy needs for 20,000 years.

The reactor is scheduled to be completed and operational in 2029, generating heat at a maximum power of 60 megawatts.

Part of the thermal energy will drive a 10MW electric power unit, and the rest will produce hydrogen by splitting water molecules at high temperature.

The small, modular, thorium-based molten salt reactor power station will be constructed and operated by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

 

Stephen Chen is the SCMP's science news editor. He investigates major research projects in China, a new power house of scientific and technological innovation, and their impact to humanity. Stephen has produced a large number of exclusive stories on China research, some highly controversial or shrouded in secrecy. He has been with the SCMP since 2006.

 

 

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