China’s thorium survey finds ‘endless energy source right under our feet’

As the world searches for energy alternatives to fossil fuels, the answer may have been in front of us the whole time

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A survey has revealed there could be enough thorium at the Bayan Obo mine to power China for 60,000 years. Photo: Reuters

Published: 5:59pm, 28 Feb 2025Updated: 4:05am, 1 Mar 2025

China could be sitting on top of enough thorium to power its energy needs almost forever, a national survey has revealed.

This one radioactive metal alone could revolutionise global energy production, ending the worldwide dependence on fossil fuels, an expert has said.

According to a declassified report detailing the survey, which ended in 2020, China’s thorium reserves, already known as the world’s largest, may actually exceed previous estimates by orders of magnitude.

Just five years of mining waste from a single iron ore site in Inner Mongolia contains enough thorium to meet US household energy demands for more than 1,000 years, according to the report published in Chinese journal Geological Review in January.

Fully exploited, the Bayan Obo mining complex could yield 1 million tonnes of thorium – enough to fuel China for 60,000 years, according to some scientists’ estimates.

“For over a century, nations have been engaging in wars over fossil fuels. It turns out the endless energy source lies right under our feet,” said a Beijing-based geologist who requested not to be named because discussion about mineral deposits requires authorisation.