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Thorium Reactor Goes Live.

China has become the first country to operate a fully functional thorium molten salt reactor, achieving a breakthrough in next-generation clean energy. Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive metal and a potential alternative to uranium for nuclear energy that is 3–4 times more common in Earth’s crust and more chemically stable than uranium, harder to weaponize, and produces more energy and less waste.

Scientists successfully reloaded fuel while the reactor was running — an unprecedented milestone. Located in the Gobi Desert, the reactor generates 2 MW of thermal power and uses thorium, a safer and more abundant alternative to uranium.

The project, led by Xu Hongjie at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, began in the 1970s and now includes over 400 researchers. Xu credited China’s progress to “strategic stamina,” contrasting it with other nations, which abandoned molten salt research in the 1970s.

With thorium reserves potentially powering China for tens of thousands of years, a larger reactor is already in development, and thorium-powered ships are being planned. China now leads the global race in thorium energy, aiming to disrupt the energy sector.