Nuclear technology advances focus on molten salt reactors and fusion

Advancements in nuclear technology are focusing on two distinct paths to provide cleaner, more sustainable energy: molten salt reactors and nuclear fusion.

A Canadian project is developing a molten salt reactor designed to operate without enriched uranium. This reactor uses liquid fuel consisting of molten salts, which allows it to utilize existing stockpiles of used fuel by recovering actinides. This process aims to reduce the longevity of radioactive waste from millennia to just a few hundred years. The design incorporates a passive safety mechanism where, in the event of an anomaly, the mixture drains into tanks and solidifies, preventing high-pressure explosions.

Simultaneously, the ITER project in southern France is working toward large-scale nuclear fusion. As an international collaboration involving 34 nations, ITER is constructing a massive tokamak to demonstrate the viability of fusion energy. Unlike fission, which splits heavy nuclei, fusion joins light nuclei like deuterium and tritium to release energy. The project aims to show that 50 MW of external heating can generate 500 MW of fusion power, offering a carbon-free energy source that mimics the processes of the sun.