China successfully converted thorium into uranium fuel for the first time

China has become the first country in the world to successfully convert thorium fuel into uranium fuel, making China’s thorium molten salt reactor the first operating reactor in the world to achieve this feat.

China’s thorium molten salt reactor has achieved the world’s first conversion of thorium fuel into uranium fuel for nuclear fission, making it the first operating reactor in the world to achieve this milestone.

The key physical parameter data of protactinium-233 confirm the successful establishment of the nuclide conversion chain from thorium-232 to uranium-233 within the reactor.

This achievement provides an initial verification of the technical feasibility of the thorium fuel cycle, further strengthening China’s leading position in molten salt reactor research.

This achievement was obtained from a 2-megawatt thermal (MWt) liquid-fuel thorium molten salt reactor led by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, located in the Hongshagang industrial cluster in Minqin County, Wuwei City, Gansu Province.

Cai Jiangzhou, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, said, “Nuclear energy, due to its high energy density, almost zero carbon emissions, and immunity to seasonal changes, is a clean, low-carbon, safe, and efficient energy source.”

About the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR)

China’s world’s first thorium-based molten salt nuclear reactor (TMSR-LF1) in the Gobi Desert became operational in June 2024. It is a fourth-generation advanced nuclear energy system that uses high-temperature molten salt as a coolant.

The experimental reactor was successfully refueled in October 2024 without being shut down, marking the first time in the world this has been done in nuclear technology.

Key features: cooling without water, operation at atmospheric pressure, power generation at high temperature, etc.

Passive safety features: if the MSR becomes too hot, the salt plug melts, stopping the reaction.

Low high-level nuclear waste footprint: thorium generates fewer long-lived minor actinides (radioactive metallic elements) compared to plutonium fuel.

Other: more energy obtained from the same amount of fuel.

Thorium fuel

Thorium is obtained from an ore called monazite, which is a phosphate mixture of thorium and rare-earth elements. Other sources include thorite and uranothorite (a thorium-uranium silicate mixed with pitchblende).

Before being used as fuel, thorium must be converted into uranium-233 in a reactor. Thorium-232 is the only naturally occurring isotope of thorium.

It is found three times more abundantly in nature than uranium. Despite its abundance, the use of this metal is limited due to its high extraction cost.

The third stage of India’s nuclear energy program envisions large-scale electricity generation from thorium.

The Advanced Heavy Water Reactor, currently under development at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), will serve as a technology demonstrator for the thorium fuel cycle.

In addition, India is developing an Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (IMSBR).

Thorium reserves in India

India has the largest thorium reserves in the world. The monazite-rich deposits in Kerala and Odisha contain about 8–10% thorium. It is also found in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Jharkhand.

Russia successfully launches new nuclear submarine ‘Khabarovsk’

Russia has launched its latest nuclear submarine, ‘Khabarovsk,’ designed to carry the underwater nuclear drone ‘Poseidon,’ also known as the ‘Doomsday Missile,’ capable of intercontinental travel and massive destruction.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated on its website that the Khabarovsk nuclear submarine was designed by Rubin, the Central Design Bureau of Marine Engineering, and aims to accomplish naval missions using modern underwater weapons, including robotic systems for various purposes.

Sevmash Shipyard had earlier refurbished the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier for India.