A Revolution in Nuclear Power?

[Valin]

Via Meadia:

1/9/13

 

Jiang Mianheng, the son of a former Chinese leader, has just dumped $350 million into an ongoing project by China’s National Academy of Sciences to develop a new kind of nuclear reactor with a new type of fuel. The project has been underway for almost two years now, but this new cash infusion is sure to accelerate timelines and excite proponents of what has been called the “clean” nuclear power: thorium. The Telegraph has the story:

 

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On paper, this sounds appealing. Thorium’s fuel cycle makes it extremely difficult to produce military-grade radioactive isotopes from the fission reaction, which will help limit proliferation of nuclear weapons. If this technology takes off, it will become considerably more difficult for countries like Iran to hide a nuclear weapons program behind legitimate plans to develop nuclear power.

 

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Accelerating change is the only constant in our times. Change is inherently unpredictable, often radical, and usually disruptive. That frustrates policymakers and economic and social planners, but it is a reality that we ignore at our peril.

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