Thorium vs Uranium: The Energy of the Future That France Let Slip Away
Table of Contents
- What Is Thorium?
- Thorium vs Uranium: The Complete Comparison
- Molten Salt Reactor Technology (MSR)
- France: Pioneer Then Abandoned
- China: The New World Leader
- Bill Gates and TerraPower: The American Recovery
- The Vosges Thorium Affair
- Why Thorium Was Sidelined: The Real Reason
- French Startups: A Ray of Hope?
- Conclusion: A Race Already Lost?
- Sources
There exists a nuclear fuel that is 3 to 4 times more abundant than uranium, produces waste that remains dangerous for centuries instead of hundreds of thousands of years, and is impossible to use to manufacture atomic bombs.
This fuel is called thorium. And France, which was long a pioneer in its research, chose to abandon it.
Meanwhile, China has just commissioned the only operational thorium reactor in the world, and Bill Gates is investing billions in technologies that our engineers developed.
Here is what they are not telling you about thorium.
What Is Thorium?
Three times more abundant than uranium, thorium generates waste that remains dangerous for centuries instead of millennia.
A Little-Known Natural Element
Thorium (Th-232) is a naturally occurring radioactive element discovered in 1828 by Swedish chemist Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who named it after Thor, the Norse god of thunder.
Key Characteristics:
- Atomic number: 90 (just before uranium, 92)
- Color: Silvery metal that darkens in air
- Radioactivity: Low (half-life of 14 billion years)
- Abundance: 3 to 4 times more abundant than uranium in the Earth's crust
Where Is It Found?
The largest thorium reserves are located in:
| Country | Estimated Reserves |
|---|---|
| India | 846,000 tonnes |
| Brazil | 632,000 tonnes |
| Australia | 595,000 tonnes |
| United States | 595,000 tonnes |
| Turkey | 374,000 tonnes |
| France | Deposits in the Vosges mountains |
📄 Source: CEA - A Thorium Nuclear Pathway
Thorium vs Uranium: The Complete Comparison
On all criteria, thorium outperforms uranium: abundance, safety, waste, non-proliferation.
1. Abundance and Availability
| Criterion | Uranium | Thorium |
|---|---|---|
| Abundance in Earth's crust | 2.7 ppm | 9.6 ppm |
| Ratio | 1 | 3-4x more |
| Geographic distribution | Concentrated | More widespread |
| Geopolitical dependence | High (Kazakhstan, Niger) | Low |
Consequence: Thorium offers significantly greater energy sovereignty, as it is available in more countries.
2. Nuclear Waste
This is the most important argument in favor of thorium:
| Waste Type | Uranium | Thorium |
|---|---|---|
| Duration of dangerousness | Hundreds of thousands of years | A few centuries |
| Plutonium production | Significant | Very low |
| Minor actinides | Numerous | Much fewer |
| Waste volume | Significant | Reduced |
"Thorium-232 waste is only dangerous for a few centuries, compared to hundreds of thousands of years for uranium waste."
Bonus: Thorium reactors can "incinerate" waste from current uranium reactors, including plutonium.
📄 Source: Techniques de l'Ingénieur - Thorium Reactors
3. Nuclear Proliferation Risk
Why was uranium chosen over thorium in the 1950s? To manufacture bombs.
| Criterion | Uranium | Thorium |
|---|---|---|
| Fissile byproduct | Plutonium-239 | Uranium-233 |
| Military use | Easy (A-bombs) | Very difficult |
| Detection | Difficult | Easy (intense gamma rays) |
| Concealment | Possible | Impossible |
"The gamma radiation produced by uranium-233 is very easy to detect, making it impossible to conceal this material from official inspections."
Historical irony: Thorium was sidelined precisely because it did not allow for weapons manufacturing. Today, this is its main advantage.
4. Reactor Safety
| Criterion | Traditional Uranium Reactor | Thorium Reactor (Molten Salt) |
|---|---|---|
| Operating pressure | High (150+ bars) | Atmospheric |
| Explosion risk | Yes (steam) | No |
| Runaway possible | Yes (Chernobyl) | No (physically impossible) |
| Emergency cooling | Required | Self-regulation |
How Does It Work?
- Thorium-232 is fertile but not fissile: it cannot sustain a chain reaction on its own
- In case of overheating, the salt expands, automatically slowing down the reaction
- No need for human intervention or backup systems
📄 Source: Optima Énergie - Thorium Ecological Power Plants
Molten Salt Reactor Technology (MSR)
The fuel circulates as liquid in molten salt: impossible to melt down, impossible to explode.
The Principle
Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) use a liquid salt as both fuel AND coolant:
- Thorium is dissolved in a fluoride or chloride salt
- The salt circulates in the reactor at high temperature (~700°C / 1,292°F)
- The nuclear reaction takes place within the salt itself
- Heat is extracted to produce electricity
Advantages of MSRs
| Advantage | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Atmospheric pressure | No explosion risk |
| High temperature | Better thermal efficiency |
| Liquid fuel | No complex fuel rod manufacturing |
| Online reprocessing | Waste can be extracted continuously |
| No emergency cooling | The salt solidifies and stops the reaction if cooling fails |
Historical Experience
The first molten salt reactor operated in the United States in the 1960s:
- MSRE (Molten Salt Reactor Experiment) at Oak Ridge, Tennessee
- Operational from 1965 to 1969
- Demonstrated technical feasibility
- Program terminated for political reasons (no plutonium for bombs)
📄 Source: LaRadioactivité.com - Molten Salt Reactors
France: Pioneer Then Abandoned
CNRS has been developing molten salt reactors for twenty years, but no prototype has been built.
20 Years of Research at CNRS
The LPSC laboratory at CNRS in Grenoble has been conducting pioneering research on molten salt reactors for over 20 years, developing the MSFR (Molten Salt Fast Reactor) concept.
Characteristics of the French MSFR:
- Fast neutron reactor
- Compatible with thorium and uranium cycles
- Breeder reactor (produces more fuel than it consumes)
- Optimized for over 10 years in European projects
What CNRS Says
"Assuming the decision to switch to the thorium cycle is made around 2040, the MSFR would be introduced on an industrial scale in 2070."
— Daniel Heuer, Research Director at CNRS
📄 Source: RT Flash - French Bet on Molten Salt Reactor
The Problem: No Funding
Despite its technological lead, France has never built an industrial prototype of a molten salt reactor. Research remains at the conceptual level.
Meanwhile:
- TerraPower (Bill Gates) is building its reactor in the USA
- China commissioned theirs in 2023
China: The New World Leader
Beijing operates the only operational thorium reactor in the world and has sixty thousand years of reserves.
TMSR-LF1: The World's First Thorium Reactor
In 2023, China commissioned the TMSR-LF1 (Thorium Molten Salt Reactor - Liquid Fuel 1) in Wuwei, Gansu province.
Specifications:
- Power: 2 MW thermal
- First criticality: October 11, 2023
- Full power: June 17, 2024
- Fuel: Enriched uranium + 50 kg of thorium
- Status: The only operational thorium MSR in the world
📄 Source: World Nuclear News - Chinese MSR achieves thorium conversion
Historic Breakthroughs (2024-2025)
October 2024 - First thorium operation: The reactor operated 10 days at full power with thorium loaded in the molten salt. Protactinium-233 was detected, proving nuclear breeding.
November 2024 - World's first conversion:
"China has achieved for the first time in the world the thorium-uranium fuel conversion in a molten salt reactor, confirming the technical feasibility of using thorium."
April 2025 - Refueling without shutdown (WORLD FIRST):
Chinese scientists successfully refueled the reactor WITHOUT shutting it down — a first demonstrating the unique flexibility of molten salt reactors. Impossible with conventional uranium reactors.
📄 Source: Fission Liquide - China
Chinese Ambitions
| Timeline | Objective |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Construction of 60 MW thermal reactor (10 MWe) |
| 2029 | Commissioning of 60 MW pilot reactor |
| 2030 | Commercial SMR 100 MWe or more |
| 2029 | First thorium MSR power plant (Gobi Desert) |
| Long term | Giant thorium-powered container ship |
The Nuclear-Powered Container Ship
China has officially announced a revolutionary project: a giant 24,000 TEU container ship (twenty-foot equivalent units) powered by a thorium molten salt reactor.
| Characteristic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Shipyard | Jiangnan Shipyard |
| Capacity | 24,000 containers |
| Propulsion | Thorium MSR reactor |
| Advantage | Zero emissions, virtually unlimited range |
📄 Source: Generation NT - Nuclear Thorium Cargo Ship
Chinese Reserves: 60,000 Years of Energy
A recent national survey revealed thorium reserves far exceeding previous estimates:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Areas identified | 233 across the country |
| Main site | Bayan Obo (Inner Mongolia) |
| Bayan Obo potential | ~1 million tonnes of thorium |
| Estimated autonomy | 60,000 years of current consumption |
"China has the best thorium nuclear power plants in the world. It has just discovered thorium deposits capable of covering SIXTY THOUSAND YEARS of its national consumption."
— Idriss Aberkane
📄 Source: L'Énergeek - Unlimited Energy Resource
Bill Gates and TerraPower: The American Recovery
Bill Gates is investing one billion dollars in a technology that France developed and then abandoned.
TerraPower: Founded in 2006
Bill Gates has invested more than one billion dollars in TerraPower, a company developing advanced reactors.
Their MCFR concept (Molten Chloride Fast Reactor) is strangely similar to French CNRS research:
- Molten salt reactor
- Fast neutrons
- Thorium and uranium compatible
- Breeder reactor
Massive Funding in 2025
In June 2025, TerraPower announced a major funding round:
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Amount raised | $650 million |
| Key investors | Bill Gates, NVIDIA, HD Hyundai |
| Total raised to date | More than $1.65 billion |
| Total project cost | ~$4 billion |
| DOE (Government) share | 50% |
NVIDIA invests in nuclear: The AI chip giant sees nuclear as the solution to power energy-hungry data centers.
📄 Source: Boursorama - TerraPower Raises $650 Million
Historic Regulatory Approval (2025)
In July 2025, TerraPower received the green light from the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) for construction:
"The NRC indicated that there were no safety aspects that would prevent the issuance of a construction permit."
TerraPower thus becomes the first player in advanced nuclear to receive a state permit for an innovative nuclear project on American soil.
📄 Source: GeekWire - TerraPower NRC approval
The Natrium Reactor: Under Construction
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Kemmerer, Wyoming (former coal plant) |
| Technology | Liquid sodium (not water) |
| Power | 345 MW electric |
| Innovation | Integrated thermal battery |
| Goal | Electricity by 2030 |
Planned Expansion
TerraPower is not stopping there:
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| August 2025 | Agreement with Utah to explore new sites |
| April 2025 | Notification to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (UK) |
| Future | International deployment planned |
"France was 40 years ahead on this subject. Today, TerraPower will file the patents, and we will pay royalties for technology we invented."
📄 Source: L'Énergeek - TerraPower Milestone
The Vosges Thorium Affair
A Chinese company quietly obtains exploration rights to a strategic French deposit.
A French Deposit... Handed Over to China?
In 2025, troubling revelations emerged: a Chinese company had quietly obtained exploration rights to a thorium deposit in the Vosges mountains.
"A Chinese company obtained the rights to explore a thorium deposit in the Vosges, without the public or Parliament being informed."
Questions raised:
- Why is France giving away access to its strategic resources?
- Why this secrecy?
- Who authorized this transaction?
📄 Source: Inspire France - Chinese Company Thorium Vosges
Why Thorium Was Sidelined: The Real Reason
Thorium cannot be used to make bombs: yesterday a flaw, today its main advantage.
The Hidden History
In the 1950s, two nuclear pathways were competing:
- Uranium pathway: Allows production of plutonium for bombs
- Thorium pathway: Does not allow production of weapons-grade fissile material
The choice was made for MILITARY reasons, not energy reasons.
American Admiral Hyman Rickover, father of the naval nuclear program, imposed the uranium pathway to equip nuclear submarines... and produce plutonium for bombs.
The Current Paradox
Today, thorium's main disadvantage (inability to make bombs) has become its main advantage:
- No proliferation risk
- No intrusive international surveillance
- Possibility for more countries to access civilian nuclear power
French Startups: A Ray of Hope?
Naarea and Stellaria are developing molten salt reactors, but without massive state support.
Naarea
French startup Naarea is developing the XAMR:
- Micro-reactor of 40 MW electric
- Molten salt technology
- Intended for decentralized applications
Stellaria
Spun off from CEA and Schneider Electric, Stellaria is developing the Stellarium:
- 250 MW reactor
- Molten salt technology
- Targeting the industrial market
📄 Source: Ministry of Ecology - Future Reactors
Conclusion: A Race Already Lost?
France had a 40-year head start on thorium and molten salt reactors. Today:
| Country | Status |
|---|---|
| China | Operational thorium reactor (2023), successful conversion (2024) |
| United States | TerraPower under construction, patents filed |
| France | Conceptual research, no prototype |
What We Have Lost:
- Breeder reactor technology (Superphénix closed)
- The ASTRID project (abandoned)
- Access to our own resources (Vosges)
- Future patents (TerraPower will file them)
What We Risk:
- Paying royalties for technologies invented in France
- Depending on China or the USA for the energy of the future
- Missing the next energy revolution
"The Chinese think in millennia and seize the opportunity while the West, frozen by counter-productive regulations, misses the train."
— Idriss Aberkane
To understand how we got here, read our article on The Decline of French Nuclear Power.
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Sources
- CEA - A Thorium Nuclear Pathway
- Techniques de l'Ingénieur - Thorium Reactors
- World Nuclear News - Chinese MSR conversion
- Chinese Academy of Sciences - Thorium breakthrough
- Wikipedia - Thorium Fuel Cycle
- LaRadioactivité.com - Molten Salt Reactors
- Transitions Énergies - Bill Gates and Nuclear
- GreenFacts - Thorium Nuclear Fuel
- GeekWire - TerraPower NRC Approval
- L'Énergeek - China Unlimited Energy Resource
- Generation NT - Nuclear Thorium Cargo Ship
- Inspire France - Chinese Company Thorium Vosges
- Le Courrier des Stratèges - France Energy Sovereignty
- Ministry of Ecology - Future Reactors
- RT Flash - French Bet on Molten Salt Reactor
- Boursorama - TerraPower Funding
- Fission Liquide - China Thorium
- Optima Énergie - Thorium Ecological Power Plants