China discovers abundant thorium reserves, paving way for potential "endless energy"

China may be sitting on vast thorium reserves capable of powering the country’s energy needs for millennia, a recent national survey has revealed.

The discovery, which could revolutionize global energy production, could render fossil fuels obsolete, experts say, Caliber.Az reports via Chinese media.

A declassified report, which details the results of the survey completed in 2020, suggests that China’s thorium reserves, already the world’s largest, could surpass previous estimates by a significant margin. The findings highlight the immense potential of thorium as a sustainable energy source.

According to the report, just five years’ worth of mining waste from a single iron ore site in Inner Mongolia contains enough thorium to meet the entire energy demand of US households for more than 1,000 years. The Bayan Obo mining complex, located in Inner Mongolia, is particularly noteworthy. Fully exploited, it could yield up to 1 million tonnes of thorium, enough to fuel China for approximately 60,000 years, according to some scientists' estimates.

“This discovery demonstrates that the endless energy source we’ve been searching for may already be beneath our feet,” said a Beijing-based geologist, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of mineral deposit discussions.

Thorium, a radioactive metal that has long been considered a safer and cleaner alternative to uranium for nuclear energy production, is gaining attention as a possible game-changer in the global energy landscape. Unlike uranium, thorium is considered less likely to be used in nuclear weapons and produces far less radioactive waste.

For decades, nations have fought over access to fossil fuels, but as the world shifts toward sustainable energy solutions, thorium could provide an abundant, long-term alternative. This new revelation adds further weight to the argument that thorium could play a central role in transforming global energy systems and reducing dependency on fossil fuels.

With these newly uncovered thorium resources, China may now be poised to lead the world in clean energy, potentially reshaping the future of global power production for generations to come.

By Vafa Guliyeva