List of countries by thorium resources

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Thorium resources are the estimated mineral reserves of thorium on Earth. Thorium is a future potential source of low-carbon energy. [1] Thorium has been demonstrated to perform as a nuclear fuel in several reactor designs. [2] [3] It is present with a higher abundance than uranium in the crust of the earth. Thorium resources have not been estimated and assessed with a higher level of confidence, as in the case of uranium. Approximately 6 million tonnes of thorium have been estimated globally based on currently limited exploration and mainly on historical data. [4] [5]

Contents

Thorium resources are found widely in over 35 countries all over the world. As there is currently negligible commercial use of thorium, the resources should be considered potentially viable according to the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources. Figures are given in metric tonnes of thorium metal.

CountryTotal thorium resources,
tonnes Th (rounded)		Remarks
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola 10,000Historical data [6]
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina 35,910Recent reassessment [7]
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 595,000 [8]
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil 632,000 [9]
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 172,000 [10]
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 100,000Possibly many hundred thousand tonnes. [11]
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo, Democratic Republic of 2,500 [6]
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt 380,000Historical data [12]
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland 60,000Historical data [13]
Flag of France.svg  France 1,000Historical data. Estimated to be from several hundred to a thousand tonnes. [14]
Flag of Greenland.svg  Greenland (Denmark)86,000Current active exploration. Possibly up to 684,000 t. [15]
Flag of India.svg  India 846,477 [16]
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran 30,000Historical data [17]
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya 8,000Historical data [12]
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan 50,000 [18]
Flag of South Korea.svg  Korea, Republic of 6,000 [19]
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar 22,000Historical data [20]
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi 9,000Historical data [21]
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia 18,000 [22]
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco 30,000Historical data [21]
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique 10,000 [23]
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria 29,000 [23]
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway 87,000Historical data [24]
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru 20,000 [25]
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 155,000 [26] [27]
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa 148,000 [28]
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 4,000 [27]
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden 50,000Historical data [29]
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan 9,000 [18]
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand 10,000Historical data [30]
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 381,000Historical data [31]
Flag of the United States.svg  United States of America 595,000 [32]
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay 3,000Historical data [25]
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan 5,000 [33]
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela 300,000Historical data [25]
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam 5,000 [33]
Others (Africa)1,000Historical data [18]
Others (CIS) (excluding Russia,
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan)		1,340,000 [18]
Total6,245,887

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Role of Thorium to Supplement Fuel Cycles of Future Nuclear Energy Systems". www.iaea.org. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  2. ↑ "Thorium Fuel Cycle - Potential Benefits and Challenges". www.iaea.org. 2019-02-28. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  3. ↑ "Introduction of Thorium in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle | en | OECD". www.oecd.org. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  4. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 112.
  5. ↑ "Thorium - World Nuclear Association". www.world-nuclear.org. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
  6. 1 2 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 49.
  7. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 38.
  8. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 99.
  9. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 39.
  10. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 29.
  11. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 63.
  12. 1 2 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 50.
  13. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 14.
  14. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 15.
  15. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 17.
  16. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 68.
  17. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 75.
  18. 1 2 3 4 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 105.
  19. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 76.
  20. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 51.
  21. 1 2 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 53.
  22. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 78.
  23. 1 2 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 54.
  24. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 20.
  25. 1 2 3 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 47.
  26. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, pp. 21–22.
  27. 1 2 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 83.
  28. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 57.
  29. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 23.
  30. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 85.
  31. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 26.
  32. ↑ International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 106.
  33. 1 2 International Atomic Energy Agency 2019, p. 86.

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