One big thing that always gets mentioned in any Thorium discussion is that originally, Uranium was chosen over Thorium exactly because it is inherently less safe; it can be used to make bombs, which is what all the nuclear powers were really interested in. So Uranium research got lots of government support while Thorium research was dropped.
I'm no nuclear physicist, so I have no idea if Thorium really is inherently safer than Uranium, but if it is, I'm all for it. But if it is indeed safer and cheaper, and old tech that's been ignored for decades, then why aren't there new Thorium reactors popping up all over the place? Or are there? Is anyone still investing in the Uranium/Plutonium cycle?
I'm no nuclear physicist, so I have no idea if Thorium really is inherently safer than Uranium, but if it is, I'm all for it. But if it is indeed safer and cheaper, and old tech that's been ignored for decades, then why aren't there new Thorium reactors popping up all over the place? Or are there? Is anyone still investing in the Uranium/Plutonium cycle?