Couple of weeks before Fukushima incident, China made a statement that it is going to build a safe, clean, and cheap network of nuclear reactors based on Thorium. This news passed unnoticed in US and most of the developed world. This move by China, if it succeeds, could change the entire energy outlook of the world.
What really gets me is the fact that China's Academy of Sciences said it had chosen a "Thorium-based molten salt reactor system" for its new line of nuclear reactors. Oak Ridge National Laboratory first designed and experimented with molten salt reactor using Thorium as fuel. From 1964–1969, their research revealed that Thorium has higher neutron yield than uranium, better fission rating, longer fuel cycles and it is far easier to process and separate from contaminants than any other nuclear fuel.
Even more important, they discovered that safety with this type of reactors is far greater. If it begins to overheat, a little plug melts and the salts drain into a pan stopping the nuclear reaction. There is no need for computers, electrical pumps or any other safety measure vulnerable to the tsunami or any other natural disaster. The reactor just saves itself! Once again, China is using US developed technology and in the years to come, they will probably sell it back at interest.
Why did we abandon this technology if it is so much better than uranium powered reactors? Well, in the early 60's, cold war was very much a reality and US needed Plutonium residue from uranium for its nuclear arsenal.
Why is US not pushing in this direction now? Is it because Nuclear Energy is often viewed as a GOP supported industry? The White House pledged $8 billion for nuclear development but nobody is talking Thorium yet!
Estimated reserves of Uranium are good for only 80 years at expected usage rates. Thorium is as common as lead. US have tons of it buried as a by-product of rare earth metals mining. One ton of Thorium produces as much energy as 200 tons of uranium. A single fistful of this metal could supply power to Washington D.C. for a week!
Thorium-fluoride reactors can run at atmospheric temperature and can be much smaller and far less expensive. There is no need for those huge containment domes because there is no pressurized water in the reactor. It is possible to build small, underground, pint-sized 600 MW reactors that can support smaller grids and pose almost no environmental hazard.
No environmentalists need worry. Thorium cannot be used for producing the raw material for atomic bombs. It cannot meltdown under any circumstances and after only 500 years, its waste will be no more dangerous than the ashes from a conventional coal-burning power plant.
The world is running out of fossil fuels. Renewable energy cannot replace them any time soon. Is US doing humanity a favor by stepping out of the race and letting the Chinese become leaders in thorium technology?