Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
A newly declassified survey reveals over one million tons of thorium in China’s Bayan Obo mines — enough to power civilization for 60,000 years, experts say.
Thorium-fueled molten salt reactors could outclass uranium reactors, generating 200 times more energy per ton with a fraction of the waste, promising a cleaner nuclear future.
Long known for rare earth metals, Bayan Obo’s mining waste hides vast thorium reserves, positioning China for a nuclear breakthrough no other nation has yet achieved.
Thorium molten salt reactors are designed to self-regulate, with built-in fail-safes to prevent meltdowns — a game-changer for public trust in nuclear power.
Unlike uranium, thorium can’t be easily weaponized, making it a safer, politically palatable path to nuclear energy — and giving China a soft power advantage.
Although promising, thorium is hard to process and requires special reactors, but China’s experimental molten salt reactor in Gansu could flip the nuclear game by 2030.
India, France, and the U.S. once explored thorium, but China now leads, with this discovery possibly giving it unmatched dominance in next-gen nuclear energy.
Thorium could help China slash fossil fuel dependence, offering a long-term energy solution as it races to meet climate goals and outpace Western rivals.
If fully harnessed, China's thorium trove could reshape global energy markets, undercutting uranium-based nuclear power and pushing China to the front of clean tech leadership.