CLIMATE SPECTATOR: Nuclear's great leap forward

China's new thorium fuelled molten salt reactors program will put it at the forefront of truly competitive, large-scale nuclear power. It also represents a golden opportunity for Australia.

Climate Spectator

The Chinese Academy of Science announced on January 26 that it planned to finance the development of a program to develop thorium fuelled molten salt reactors (TFMSR). This is the first of four "strategic leader in science and technology projects" that the Chinese Academy of Science will be supporting.

The head of the Chinese TFMSR program is Dr Jiang Mianheng, a graduate of Drexel University with a PhD in electrical engineering. His father, Jiang Zemin, was the President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003. This gives an indication of the importance the Chinese leadership attaches to the TFMSR program.

It is also a clear and important endorsement of the benefits of the TFMSR, namely...