Nuclear is a key part of the government's national mission to be a clean energy superpower. The government believes that Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) could play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs.

DESNZ is aware of and monitors the progress of a wide range of advanced reactors in design development by companies around the world, including Thorium Molten Salt reactors.

There are currently no funded projects specifically for thorium-based nuclear technologies. Potential for future investment will be subject to the Spending Review and the scope of future R&D schemes.

Thorium fuel research is undertaken via UKRI grants to UK Universities for academic research and via the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).

BEIS and its partner organisations continue to maintain a watching brief on the state of development and market demand for thorium-based nuclear fuels. BEIS officials also remain in contact with a number of organisations that support thorium use or are undertaking research into its applications.

Research and development on thorium and related technologies in the UK remains active, including Research Council grants to UK universities to explore thorium-fuelled reactor systems and fuel cycle processes. The UK Government plans to continue in a similar approach to support future R&D into the use of thorium as reactor fuel.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) maintains an interest in the global potential of thorium nuclear fuels.

In 2012, the National Nuclear laboratory (NNL) published an initial comparative assessment of thorium and uranium technologies in nuclear powered electricity generation. This is available online from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory.

BEIS has considered these views and drawn on the expertise of its national laboratories to model nuclear scenarios that include the use of thorium. These are used to inform R&D needs on thorium nuclear fuel cycles. An overview of these are included in the document “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap: Future Pathways”, which is available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathways.

The UK has been supporting research and development into the use of thorium nuclear fuels since such fuels were used in the Dragon reactor at Winfrith in the 1960s and 1970s. Examples of current activity on thorium and related technologies include academic research into thorium fuelled reactor systems and fuel cycle processes through Research Council grants to UK universities; collaboration on thorium fuels, via the UK Research Councils’ Energy Programme, with national nuclear energy programmes of other countries on safety, performance and non-proliferation; experimental development of thorium fuels through the NNL and private sector organisations, as part of international consortia, and thorium fuel modelling and fuel cycle scenario analysis by the NNL. These activities cover UK, EU and worldwide initiatives and receive either financial or strategic support from the Government.

No further analysis has been undertaken to understand the implications on waste management and disposal of using thorium fuels. There are currently no plans to commission a study to confirm the potential benefits of thorium in the longer-term and how any potential barriers to its use might be overcome.

The successful bidders for Phase 1 of the Advanced Modular Reactor Feasibility & Development Programme were announced on 28^th June. It should be noted that none of the eight designs that will be given an opportunity to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of their designs plan to use thorium fuels.

BEIS maintains an interest in the global potential of thorium nuclear fuels.

In 2012, DECC published an initial comparative assessment of thorium and uranium technologies in nuclear power electricity generation. This is available online from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory

BEIS also draws on the expertise of its national laboratories to model nuclear scenarios that include the use of thorium. These are used to inform research and development needs on future nuclear fuel cycles. An overview of these are included in the document “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap: Future Pathways”, which is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathways

Plutonium plays a different functional role in the design of proposed nuclear fuels than thorium does and would only be used in conjunction with thorium, rather than in place of it. For this reason, BEIS has undertaken no assessment of replacing plutonium with thorium.

The UK has been supporting research and development into the use of thorium nuclear fuels since such fuels were used in the Dragon reactor at Winfrith in the 1960s and 1970s.

Examples of current activity on thorium and related technologies include academic research into thorium fuelled reactor systems and fuel cycle processes through Research Council grants to UK universities; collaboration on thorium fuels, via the UK Research Councils’ Energy Programme, with national nuclear energy programmes of other countries on safety, performance and non-proliferation; experimental development of thorium fuels through the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and private sector organisations, as part of international consortia, and thorium fuel modelling and fuel cycle scenario analysis by the NNL. These activities cover UK, EU and worldwide initiatives and receive either financial or strategic support from the Government. The Government plans to continue a similar approach to support future research and development in the use of thorium as a nuclear reactor fuel.

DECC maintains an interest in the global potential of thorium nuclear fuels.

In 2012, DECC published an initial comparative assessment of thorium and uranium technologies in nuclear power electricity generation. This is available online at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory.

DECC also draws on the expertise of its national laboratories to model nuclear scenarios that include the use of thorium. These are used to inform research and development needs on thorium nuclear fuel cycles. An overview of these are included in the document “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap: Future Pathways”, published in March 2013, available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathways

DECC is aware of the potential of thorium as a nuclear fuel and thorium fuel cycles fall within the scope of the Department's analysis of future nuclear scenarios.

The UK is actively involved in thorium cycle research through organisations such as the National Nuclear Laboratory and the UK Research Councils' Energy programme. It has drawn on the expertise of these to model nuclear scenarios that include the use of thorium. These are not exhaustive, but a current overview is presented in the document “Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap: Future Pathways”, which is available from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nuclear-energy-research-and-development-roadmap-future-pathways

Amongst its conclusions are the expectations thorium reactors would be subject to the same fuelling limitations in roll-out as fast reactors, in which the rate of commissioning is constrained by the rate of production of start-up fuel from the existing reactor fleet.

Thorium fuels are also likely to differ from, uranium fuels in their waste characteristics, including their radiological properties and the amounts of heat they generate. These waste characteristics will vary with the type of reactor in which thorium fuels are used and individual systems may offer significant advantages or barriers to the waste's management and final disposal. Further analysis and fuel cycle modelling will be necessary to understand the implications on waste management and disposal of using thorium fuels.

I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

DECC recently commissioned an initial comparative assessment of thorium and uranium technologies in nuclear power electricity generation. This is available online from:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory

DECC maintains an interest in the global potential of thorium.

The Department commissioned the National Nuclear Laboratory to undertake an early stage assessment to compare thorium and uranium fuel cycles across a variety of reactor types. This was completed in 2012 and is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thorium-and-uranium-fuel-cycles-comparison-by-the-national-nuclear-laboratory

For the longer term, the Department has commissioned a wider analysis of nuclear fuel cycle scenarios which are open to the UK, among which is a reactor design fuelled by molten thorium salts.

I understand that Kirk Sorensen provided review comments to the National Nuclear Laboratory on reports covering advanced nuclear reactor systems. As his commentary was provided for the National Nuclear Laboratory's consideration, and not for DECC's, the Department has not responded to them.