Over the last 10-15 years there has been a substantial reappraisal of thorium as a nuclear fuel within the US and Internationally. This resurgence is in part due to thorium-centric organizations, like Thorium Energy Alliance [ LINK to About] creating communities of academics, private stakeholders, governmental agencies and the financial sector. Stake holders all interested in promoting the use of thorium have come together to demand a revival of research, uses and policy on Thorium. Thorium offers some very attractive attributes in comparison to Uranium in terms of mining, processing, no need for resource intensive enrichment, non-proliferation and long-term waste streams. Thorium is also commonly occurring as a byproduct of several mining operations throughout the world and has considerable known reserves that are free by-products of other core mining pursuits.
There has also been a resurgence of research projects focused on Thorium as a component in materials, alloys, medicines, lighting, catalysts and other energy systems in national labs, domestically and abroad, sometimes continuing research that was first initiated at the beginning of the nuclear industry.
