Sep 4, 2010

1/2 cost of current reactors & uses almost all nuclear fuel.

Here are details of the subcritical accelerator driven thorium nuclear reactor designed by Nobel Laureate Carlo Rubbia.

This reactor was given a supportive article by the UK Telegraph. It has been extensively studied for over 15 years and is expected to have half the cost of existing light water reactors and burn up almost all of the nuclear fuel.

The Norwegian group Aker Solutions has bought Dr Rubbia's patent for the thorium fuel-cycle, and is working on his design for a proton accelerator at its UK operation. They are raising 100 million pounds ($150 million USD) for the next stage of an estimated 2 billion pound ($3 billion USD) project to develop the first commercial unit.