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Posted on 05/03/2026 9:20:35 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Here is the unvarnished truth that has been kept secret by the choices of important people. At present population levels, there may be more than enough energy in the world for the next 100,000 years (maybe for millions of years) that is relatively easy to obtain, clean, and safe, and that would be productive of peace among men, because there would be fewer fights over resources.
The fuel of the future is thorium, and it is being withheld from the world because too few people know about it to demand it—and there’s no reason for this ignorance. Why the secrecy?
While positive for ordinary folks, thorium could ruin everything for important people who make their living from dealing with the consequences of conflict based on energy resources. What, then, would the bureaucrats, the military, and academics do to put bread on their tables?
With the implementation of a thorium-based economy, people and energy-hungry AI utilities would coexist without competing for limited electrical power. In a sense, we could have our cake and eat it too. And, as a bonus, we could stop consuming some of the rare resources of our only planet.
For all the foregoing reasons and hopes, I would like to suggest to decision-makers in Washington that they seek out and support the work of Kirk Sorensen, a nuclear engineer who has been doggedly pushing liquid-fluoride-thorium reactors for more than fifteen years. The technology that he touts has been understood since the mid-1940s and was demonstrated in a working model in the mid-1950s and again in the 1960s before the government shut down the thorium project.
There are still unresolved scientific issues blocking our access, but most require engineering tweaks rather than entirely new science.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
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Why did you respond with that?
I’m curious.
I thought Thorium reactors were a promising new Technology…
Oil is clean energy. So are coal and wood.
We’ve been developing and refining power production in the nuclear field for decades. Thorium reactors are still being developed and refined. Their ability to answer production problems short term aren’t here. AI energy needs and wants are. One won’t solve the giant energy hole AI is making. The timing don’t jive IMO
Move over, uranium. Get out of here, water. Thorium and salt are the new MVPs of nuclear power.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/green-tech/a64550626/thorium-reactor-nuclear-power/
Sad.
Since it’s producing heat instead of electricity, what good is it?
Because the heat produces the steam which moves the generators that make the electricity.
Where is the water coming from? The local water table? You warming up rivers? Screwing with the fish? Who’s paying for this? Besides we’re shutting plants down not building them. Do you have any idea how long from beginning a project to commercial operation of a nuclear power plant is? You can’t order it from Amazon.
This statement is unvarnished balderdash. Thorium is reaching the point where it is going to be a leading nuclear power source in the not-so-distant future. Here is a summary from Gemini:
“As of **May 2026**, thorium-based reactor development has transitioned from decades of theoretical research into a high-stakes “technology race.” While uranium still dominates the commercial sector, the last 24 months have seen breakthrough milestones—most notably in China and India—that suggest thorium is finally moving toward commercial viability.
## 1. China: The Global Frontrunner
China currently holds a significant lead, having successfully moved past the experimental phase into practical “fuelization proof.”
* **TMSR-LF1 Success:** China's 2-megawatt experimental liquid-fuel thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR-LF1) in the Gobi Desert achieved full operational power in **June 2024**.
* **2026 Breakthrough:** In **April 2026**, the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics verified “fuelization proof,” successfully demonstrating the continuous conversion of thorium into fissile Uranium-233 within a salt-based system.
* **The Roadmap:** China is now fast-tracking a **10 MW Small Modular Reactor (SMR)** targeted for 2030 and a **100 MW prototype** by 2035. They have also announced plans to use thorium reactors to power large-scale container ships, potentially allowing for years of voyage time without refueling.
## 2. India: The Three-Stage Milestone
India possesses some of the world's largest thorium reserves and has long pursued a unique three-stage nuclear program to achieve energy independence.
* **PFBR Criticality (April 2026):** On **April 6, 2026**, India's indigenously built **500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)** at Kalpakkam attained its first criticality.
* **The Transition:** This is a pivotal moment because the PFBR marks India's official entry into **Stage 2**. This stage is designed to use plutonium to “breed” Uranium-233 from thorium.
* **Stage 3 Goal:** This success paves the way for Stage 3, where thorium will become the primary fuel source in Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs), with a goal of operational readiness by **2030**.
## 3. Western and Private Sector Momentum
In North America and Europe, development is largely driven by private companies and a shift toward **Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)**.
* **Copenhagen Atomics (Denmark):** They are currently preparing to test a full-scale prototype at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland (**2026–2027**), aiming for commercial units by **2030**.
* **North American Funding:** The U.S. and Canada have seen a surge in funding for next-generation designs. Companies like **Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation** are integrating thorium into micro-modular designs for remote industrial use, while **TerraPower** continues to explore thorium as a long-term supplement to their natrium-based designs.
* **Netherlands (NRG):** The Petten research reactor continues to provide critical data on how thorium fuels behave under long-term irradiation, which is essential for global licensing and safety standards.
## 4. The Thorium Cycle Explained
Unlike Uranium-235, which is “fissile” (can sustain a chain reaction immediately), thorium-232 is “fertile.” It must first absorb a neutron to become Uranium-233.
### Key Technical Comparisons (2026 Data)
| Feature | Thorium Reactors (MSR/LFTR) | Conventional Uranium (LWR) |
| :-— | :-— | :-— |
| **Abundance** | 3–4x more abundant than uranium. | Relatively finite high-grade reserves. |
| **Safety** | Passive safety; fuel is liquid and drains if power fails. | Active cooling required to prevent meltdown. |
| **Waste** | Produces significantly fewer long-lived transuranic elements. | Produces plutonium and long-lived waste. |
| **Proliferation** | Difficult to weaponize (high gamma radiation from U-232). | Plutonium byproduct can be diverted. |
| **Efficiency** | Operates at higher temperatures; higher thermal efficiency. | Lower operating temperatures; less efficient. |
## Current Challenges & Outlook
Despite the recent momentum, two main “bottlenecks” remain:
1. **Material Corrosion:** In Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), the combination of high heat and chemically aggressive salts is hard on reactor vessels. Research in 2026 is heavily focused on **nickel-based superalloys** and specialized coatings.
2. **Regulatory Hurdles:** Most global nuclear regulations were written specifically for solid-fuel uranium reactors. Regulators in the U.S. and EU are only now beginning to create the frameworks necessary to license liquid-fuel systems.
It is certainly not being kept a secret.
**Bottom Line:** 2026 is being viewed as the “Year of Proof” for thorium. With China operating a functional loop and India starting its breeder program, the technology has moved from a “maybe” to a “when.””
It's a closed cycle, Water turned into steam spins the turbine.
The water is condensed, the vacuum produced by doing this provides about half of the power as the steam is sucked through the 2nd half of the turbine.
After being condensed, the water is pumped back into the boiler.
You got an estimate when the first plant produces commercial power? How about AI think they’ll soak up their installation needs? We got a president that likes to build 💩. What if Newsome wins in 2028? Think this tech will get here ? We are so far behind, we are sneaking up on ourselves.
I assume that you are joking.
All nuclear reactors produce heat which in power plants is what is used to create electricity mostly though mechanical methods... steam turbines hooked to large three phase alternators.
Well that’s partially true but you better study up on:
Primary coolant
Condensate
Circulating water
It’s no joke. You need to study too.
Even though compared to most others I use AI based apps and programs... a lot, for various mostly amusing purposes... I am the first to point out that the $Trillions being spent on AI server farms is almost a complete waste and a giant scam that will have its bubble burst within the next few years. It is ridiculous and stupid. They will collapse and have less impact on the electric grid than other factors.
As far as when viable commercial nuclear power plants... they are going to be sprouting like weeds all over the world in the next decade. We can either get on board or see a bunch of 3rd world sh@t holes become more successful than us in the future while we flounder away. Their success or failure here is almost completely about politics.
I thought that you were joking, when you indicated that you didn't understand how nuclear power plants produce electricity. And yet you have interjected your blather into a conversation about nuclear power. If that is not a joke, I don't know what is.
Absolutely true. We need to stop shutting our plants coal, nuke, gas, hydro down, and start recovering any we can. Start building new ones ASAP. I don’t give a damn how we generate steam, thorium sounds good. I qualified on a nautilus prototype. I’ve operated S5W,S5G,and BWR plants. Once the steam leaves the boilers, I don’t care. Saturated or superheat, spin the effing turbine. It takes a hell of a lot of water. There’s a reason gators hang out in the Florida nuke plants circ water discharge and why people fish for catfish in the discharge at Arkansas 1. We need to get going and quit backing up. IMO
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