This photo shows key components of the fuel for the experimental Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) displayed at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
SHANGHAI, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- China has successfully achieved the first-ever thorium to uranium nuclear fuel conversion in a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR), and obtained valid experimental data following thorium fuel loading, confirming the technical feasibility of thorium utilization in a molten-salt reactor nuclear energy system, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) on Saturday.
Researchers use mechanical arms to analyse samples at a core part of the experimental Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
A researcher works at a core part of the experimental Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
Researchers use mechanical arms to collect samples at a core part of the experimental Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
A researcher checks the welding quality of alloy materials used in building the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor, at a laboratory of the Jiading campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in east China's Shanghai, Oct. 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
A researcher works in the radiation monitoring laboratory at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
A staff member introduces a device which can measure the radiation level to ensure personal safety at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
A staff member puts on a device which can measure the radiation level to ensure personal safety at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
A researcher observes the welding progress of alloy materials used in building the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor, at a laboratory of Jiading campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in east China's Shanghai, Oct. 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
Researchers conduct environmental monitoring at the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 24, 2025 shows a view of the Wuwei campus of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in Minqin County of Wuwei City, northwest China's Gansu Province. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)■