https://en.sputniknews.africa/20250302/china-reportedly-discovers-massive-thorium-deposit-with-potential-to-power-nation-for-60000-years-1070903450.html
China Reportedly Discovers Massive Thorium Deposit With Potential to Power Nation for 60,000 Years
China Reportedly Discovers Massive Thorium Deposit With Potential to Power Nation for 60,000 Years
Sputnik Africa
The deposit was found at the Bayan Obo mining complex in Inner Mongolia, a northern autonomous region, where estimates suggest that full extraction could yield... 02.03.2025, Sputnik Africa
2025-03-02T17:54+0100
2025-03-02T17:54+0100
2025-03-02T17:54+0100
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nuclear fuel
nuclear energy
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China has uncovered a vast thorium reserve that could supply the country's energy needs for the next 60,000 years, local media reported, citing a newly declassified national geological survey.The survey identified 233 thorium-rich zones across China, highlighting that substantial amounts of thorium remain unutilized in mining waste. Scientists indicate that just five years’ worth of thorium from Bayan Obo’s iron ore mining waste could theoretically sustain US energy consumption for over a millennium.Thorium, a naturally occurring, mildly radioactive element, has long been considered a potential alternative to uranium in nuclear power generation. While not directly fissile, thorium can be transformed into uranium-233, which can sustain nuclear fission. In a molten-salt reactor, thorium is combined with lithium fluoride and heated to extreme temperatures of 1,400°C, where neutron bombardment initiates a chain reaction. This method is more efficient than conventional uranium reactors, generates significantly less nuclear waste, and minimizes the risk of catastrophic meltdowns.China has been at the forefront of thorium-based nuclear research and has already begun constructing the world’s first thorium molten-salt reactor power plant in the Gobi Desert. The facility, designed to produce 10 megawatts of electricity, is expected to be operational by 2029. Beijing reportedly sees thorium reactors as a cornerstone of its long-term energy strategy, aiming to reduce reliance on coal and imported fossil fuels.Thorium is significantly more abundant than uranium-235, the primary fuel used in conventional reactors—estimated to be 500 times more plentiful. According to the World Nuclear Association, thorium can produce 200 times more energy than uranium, making it a highly promising option for future nuclear energy.
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china, asia, nuclear fuel, nuclear energy, international, energy, discovery
China Reportedly Discovers Massive Thorium Deposit With Potential to Power Nation for 60,000 Years
Christina Glazkova
Writer / Editor
The deposit was found at the Bayan Obo mining complex in Inner Mongolia, a northern autonomous region, where estimates suggest that full extraction could yield up to one million tonnes of thorium.
China has uncovered a vast thorium reserve that could supply the country's energy needs for the next 60,000 years, local media reported, citing a newly declassified national geological survey.
The survey identified 233 thorium-rich zones across China, highlighting that substantial amounts of thorium remain unutilized in mining waste. Scientists indicate that just five years’ worth of thorium from Bayan Obo’s iron ore mining waste could theoretically sustain US energy consumption for over a millennium.
Thorium, a naturally occurring, mildly radioactive element, has long been considered a potential alternative to uranium in
nuclear power generation. While not directly fissile, thorium can be transformed into uranium-233, which can sustain nuclear fission. In a molten-salt reactor, thorium is combined with lithium fluoride and heated to extreme temperatures of 1,400°C, where neutron bombardment initiates a chain reaction.
This method is more efficient than conventional uranium reactors, generates significantly less nuclear waste, and minimizes the risk of catastrophic meltdowns.China has been at the forefront of thorium-based nuclear research and has already begun constructing the world’s first thorium molten-salt reactor power plant in the
Gobi Desert. The facility, designed to produce 10 megawatts of
electricity, is expected to be operational by 2029. Beijing reportedly sees thorium reactors as a cornerstone of its long-term energy strategy, aiming to reduce reliance on coal and imported fossil fuels.
Thorium is significantly more abundant than uranium-235, the primary fuel used in conventional reactors—estimated to be
500 times more plentiful. According to the World Nuclear Association,
thorium can produce 200 times more energy than uranium, making it a highly promising option for future nuclear energy.
