ThorCon nuclear reactor

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Artists impression of the TMSR-500 conceptual design Thorcon isles power from shore.jpg
Artists impression of the TMSR-500 conceptual design

The Thorcon nuclear reactor is a design of a molten salt reactor with a graphite moderator, currently proposed by the US-based Thorcon company. These nuclear reactors are designed as part of a floating power plant, to be manufactured on an assembly line in a shipyard, and to be delivered via barge to any ocean or major waterway shoreline, similar to the US's MH-1A from 1968 and the Russian Akademik Lomonosov operating since 2020. [1] The reactors are to be delivered as a sealed unit and never opened on site. All reactor maintenance and fuel processing are to be done at an off-site location. As of April 2025, no reactor of this type has been built. [2]

Contents

Design

Raw material flows and waste at a ThorCon fuel processing plant. Enriched uranium powers the cycle, but most of the energy comes from the more abundant thorium. ThorCon Fuel Cycle.png
Raw material flows and waste at a ThorCon fuel processing plant. Enriched uranium powers the cycle, but most of the energy comes from the more abundant thorium.

ThorCon has proposed its power station to be closely based on the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment in the 1960s, claiming that its design requires no new technology. The power station would contain two 250 MWe small modular reactors. The replaceable reactors are to be removed and replaced every four years. As molten salt reactors, they are designed for the use of fuel in liquid form, which also serves as primary coolant. [4] The fuel would be about 20% enriched uranium tetrafluoride and thorium tetrafluoride. The ThorCon design is a floating power station to be built in a shipyard and then towed to the location of operation. [5]

Company's claim about safety

Thorcon claims that this reactor design will be safer than traditional nuclear reactors. The design includes several features intended to prevent meltdowns, contain radioactive materials, and protect from terrorism and sabotage.[ citation needed ]

Potential prototype installation in Indonesia

P3Tek, an agency of the Indonesia Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, reviewed a 500 MW prototype thorium molten salt reactor design by ThorCon called the TMSR-500 in 2019. [6] (The TMSR-500 was later renamed the Thorcon 500. [2] ) The study, issued in 2019, reported that the reactor would meet Indonesia's regulations for nuclear energy safety and performance. [7]

In 2023, the company began a pre-licensing consultation with Indonesian regulators toward installing a TMSR-500 there. [8] In 2025, the Indonesian regulatory agency approved a site evaluation plan and site evaluation management system plan for the reactor. A site license and design approval remained yet to be completed, but the company said there was "the potential to start construction in 2027 and achieve full power by 2031". [2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Patel, Sonal (2023-02-01). "Floating Nuclear Power Buoyant on New Prospects". Power Magazine.
  2. 1 2 3 "Regulatory approval for Indonesian site survey". World Nuclear News. 5 August 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026. based on technology developed by the US DOE Oak Ridge National Lab in the 1960s [...it] will feature the Thorcon 500, a 500 MWe molten salt reactor (MSR) power plant
  3. ↑ ThorCon Fuel Cycle [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Design.[ dead link ] ThorCon webpage (retrieved April 2022)
  5. ↑ Status Report – ThorCon (Thorcon US, Inc.) USA/Indonesia,[ dead link ] 22 June 2020
  6. ↑ Waluyo, Agus; Khakim, Azizul (August 2021). "Thorium Molten Salt Reactor 500 (TMSR-500) design review". International Atomic Energy Agency . pp. 140–145. Retrieved 20 January 2026. PT ThorCon named their reactor Thorium Molten Salt Reactor 500 (TMSR 500).
  7. ↑ Wang, Brian (24 September 2019). "P3Tek Recommends Thorcon Molten Salt Nuclear Reactor for Indonesia". NextBigFuture.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "ThorCon begins pre-licensing consultation in Indonesia". World Nuclear News. April 5, 2023.
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