China neemt ’s werelds eerste thoriumreactor in gebruik

News analysis by Ir. Wouter de Heij (Klimaatfeiten.net, May 2025) on the commissioning of China’s first molten salt thorium reactor demonstration plant in Wuwei, Gansu province.

The article describes the technical specifications: 2 MWth current capacity, planned scale-up to 373 MWth, developed by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The reactor uses thorium-232 converted to fissile uranium-233 as fuel, with molten fluoride salts as coolant. Operating at atmospheric pressure, the design incorporates passive safety systems.

De Heij places the development in historical context — referencing the Oak Ridge National Laboratory experiments in the 1960s — and notes China’s strategic motivations: domestic thorium reserves, reduced long-lived waste, and limited suitability for military applications. The reactor has been tested and first neutrons produced.