25/09/2025
China Achieves Nuclear Breakthrough With Abandoned U.S. Technology
Chinese researchers have pulled off a historic feat in nuclear energy: successfully refueling a molten salt thorium reactor without shutting it down — something never achieved before.
The experimental reactor, hidden in the Gobi Desert, produces about 2 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 2,000 homes. Its design traces back to U.S. experiments in the 1960s, later shelved but later revived and refined by China through decades of research.
Unlike conventional uranium reactors, thorium is safer, more abundant, and produces less waste. Molten salt reactors also offer unique benefits — they can’t melt down, generate minimal long-lived nuclear waste, and can even recycle spent fuel from older reactors.
The system works by heating a liquid thorium-salt mixture above 600 °C, initiating fission to produce energy. In emergencies, the salt naturally cools and solidifies, stopping the reaction without external intervention.
The U.S. abandoned the concept decades ago over technical hurdles like corrosion. But China’s scientists, led by Xu Hongjie, overcame these challenges through steady funding and persistence.
This breakthrough is part of China’s strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2060, leveraging its massive thorium reserves that could sustain its energy needs for millennia. With this milestone, China has taken the lead in the global race for safer, cleaner nuclear power.
