China’s Thorium Revolution: A Game-Changer for Clean Energy

A South China Mining Post has informed that a recently declassified report has revealed groundbreaking insights: China may have far more thorium than previously estimated.

More than expected

The first estimation has indicated that thorium reserves could reach approximately 100 thousand tones however, the new discoveries imply that the quantity may be multiple times greater than expected.

Thorium, a silver-colored radioactive metal, is 200 times more energy-dense than uranium. Its use in Thorium Molten-Salt Reactors (TMSRs) could transform global energy policy. These reactors are compact, meltdown-proof, require no water cooling, and produce minimal radioactive waste.

What we know

A single iron ore site in Inner Mongolia holds enough thorium in its tailings to supply U.S. household energy needs for over 1,000 years. Over 233 thorium-rich zones were identified across China, from Xinjiang to Guangdong. By 2029, China’s first TMSR power plant in the Gobi Desert is expected to generate 10 megawatts of electricity.

It should be considered that extracting thorium from rare earth ores is energy-intensive and produces waste. There are concerns about the weaponization of by-products, though experts argue that thorium is unsuitable for nuclear arms.

The exact size of China’s thorium reserves is classified, but the findings hint at a virtually limitless clean energy source.