Thorium Power, a small firm based in the Washington, D.C., area, is refining a technology that just might be the world’s best shot at keeping plutonium from dismantled Soviet nuclear weapons from slipping out of Russia and into the hands of terrorists—by burning it as fuel in commercial nuclear reactors that generate electricity for civilian use.
Ironically, the concept of recycling Russian plutonium and using it as part of a thorium-based fuel was first promoted by Edward Teller, perhaps best known for his work developing the Hydrogen Bomb and conceiving the design of the “Star Wars” system during the Reagan era. During his later years, Teller became concerned that, as a result of U.S. and Soviet arms reductions agreements, plutonium removed from discarded atomic weapons would end up stored in loosely guarded facilities where it could fall into the wrong hands.
Terrorists would need only 10 pounds or so of plutonium and WWII era technology to wreak devastation on a major American city—and there were many tons of it sitting at poorly secured locations throughout Russia. With this in mind, Teller contacted a former star student of his, Alvin Radowsky, and asked whether he could design a reactor fuel that could safely destroy decommissioned plutonium from nuclear warheads.
In his search for a solution, Dr. Radkowsky revisited research he had done in the 1950s with an element called thorium. Based on his previous experiments, Radowsky designed a fuel assembly in which plutonium from discarded warheads would be wrapped in a mix of thorium and uranium, creating a controlled nuclear reaction. This reaction would burn over 75% of the plutonium—and do it three times faster and at half to a third of the cost of alternative methods, such as the mixed oxide (MOX) process.
In 1992, Radkowsky formed Thorium Power with the goal of refining the thorium process to the point where it could be adapted to power the current generation of Russian light water reactors so that it could generate electricity while at the same time dispose of plutonium stockpiles. Not surprisingly though, developing a cutting-edge nuclear fuel technology did not come easily.
In order to finance initial research and development efforts, the company applied for funding through the Department of Energy’s Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention (IPP) program, which was subsequently granted. IPP not only provided crucial financial support, it also allowed Thorium Power to advance its relationship with Moscow’s much renowned Kurchatov Institute. The former Soviet weapons scientists working at Kurchatov are experts in nuclear engineering and possess intricate knowledge of Russian reactor technology—exactly what the fledgling company needed to get its project off the ground.
Currently, scores of former weapons scientists at Kurchatov are helping Thorium Power develop a working prototype of their design that is expected to be tested in a commercial 1,000-megawatt reactor in Russia. What’s more, the enthusiasm for Thorium Power’s technology within the scientific community has stoked the interest of the investment community and the U.S. government. To date, Thorium Power has received over $15 million in private equity investments. It has also secured about $5.5 million for the project from the U.S. government and has received significant in-kind contributions from the Russian nuclear institutes.
Based on the positive response to the weapons-plutonium disposal technology, Thorium Power is also developing two variant technologies. The first is a thorium-based method for disposing of reactor-grade plutonium. This form of plutonium is not quite as pure as “weapons-grade” plutonium but still poses a significant proliferation threat. Thorium Power’s technique is expected to provide the cheapest and most effective way to dispose of this dangerous fissile material, over 270 metric tons of which are stockpiled around the world. The second variant is a thorium/uranium fuel that—when implemented—will prevent existing nuclear power plants from producing weapons-usable plutonium, as well as provide additional safety and environmental benefits.
In addition to these successes, more exciting developments are on the horizon for Thorium Power. In February 2006 the company entered into a definitive merger agreement with Novastar Resources, a publicly held minerals exploration company that owns rights to thorium deposits. Merging with a publicly traded company promises to provide Thorium Power with even more investment opportunities, something that will surely help as they vie to position their technology as the Russian government’s choice for plutonium disposal.
With promising technologies and cash to fund their development, the future looks bright for Thorium Power. And it’s not just company executives and their investors who have reason to be pleased. The nonproliferation community, the civilians who will enjoy access to thorium-generated electricity, and indeed every peace-loving nation will be the beneficiaries of this small company’s success through the IPP program.
Thorium Power: www.thoriumpower.com