Thorium

(Updated August 2012)

• Thorium is more abundant in nature than uranium.
• It is fertile rather than fissile, and can be used in conjunction with fissile material as nuclear fuel.
• Thorium fuels can breed fissile uranium-233.

The use of thorium as a new primary energy source has been a tantalizing prospect for many years. Extracting its latent energy value in a cost-effective manner remains a challenge, and will require considerable R&D investment.
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Current-and-Future-Generation/Thorium/?goback=.gde_46854_member_240508965#.UZIxecpfaSo