An outdated US nuclear technology is being revived in China.

Sure! Here’s a rephrased version of the content without any external promotional call-to-actions:

—

You can easily incorporate that line into numerous discussions about today’s advanced reactor technology. Molten-salt cooling systems? They were invented in the mid-20th century but never reached commercialization. The same goes for several alternative fuels, like TRISO. And let’s not forget about thorium. A specific research reactor in China utilizing an alternative fuel highlights the current moment for nuclear energy technology: many groups are revisiting past technologies, inspired by a renewed interest in their development.

First, it’s essential to recognize that China is currently a focal point for nuclear energy. While the US maintains the highest number of operational reactors worldwide, China is rapidly advancing. The country is constructing reactors at an impressive rate and has more reactors under construction than any other nation. Just recently, China greenlit 10 new reactors, involving an investment exceeding $27 billion.

China is also at the forefront of various advanced reactor technologies, which encompass any design that diverges from the conventional model in use today—large reactors employing enriched uranium as fuel and high-pressure water for cooling. High-temperature reactors using gas as a coolant are a significant focus; several of these reactors have recently begun operation, with more in the planning and construction phases.

Recently, Chinese state media announced a significant milestone involving a thorium-based reactor. This reactor became operational in June 2024 and has reportedly undergone a refueling process without requiring a shutdown—a notable achievement, since conventional reactors typically need to pause operations for refueling. The lead scientists on this project presented their findings during a private meeting at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

It’s important to note that this reactor isn’t a massive power plant; it has a small output of just two megawatts of heat—less than the research reactor at MIT, which operates at six megawatts. While MIT’s reactor is one of the largest university research reactors in the US, it still underscores the notion that progress for thorium reactors is ongoing, especially given that the focus has been predominantly on uranium for the last five decades.

Much of the initial research on thorium originated in the US, which allocated resources to various reactor technologies during the 1950s and ’60s. A reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee that functioned in the 1960s used Uranium-233 fuel, created when thorium is subjected to radiation.

—