On November 1, the Thorium Molten Salt Experimental Reactor, led and constructed by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully achieved thorium-uranium nuclear fuel conversion for the first time. It has become the only operating molten salt reactor in the world to have loaded thorium fuel, preliminarily demonstrating the technical feasibility of utilizing thorium resources in molten salt reactor nuclear energy systems, and further consolidating China‘s leading position in the international molten salt reactor research field. The GH3535 alloy developed and produced by Shangda Co., Ltd. has empowered the Key Equipment and Technology Development Project for Thorium Molten Salt Reactors, injecting “hardcore” material strength into China’s fourth-generation nuclear power technology breakthrough, achieving a “lane-changing overtake” in the nuclear power sector.
Thorium Molten Salt Reactor: The “Green Revolution” of Fourth-Generation Nuclear Power
Recognized globally as a benchmark for fourth-generation advanced nuclear power technology, the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor, with its three core advantages of “high-efficiency power generation, inherent safety, and minimized nuclear waste,” has become a “strategic choice” for China‘s energy structure transformation. It can not only efficiently utilize thorium resources (whose reserves far exceed those of uranium) but also avoid the risks of traditional reactors at the design stage, making it a key driver for achieving the “Dual Carbon” goals and energy independence. Currently, China’s R&D on Thorium Molten Salt Reactors has entered a critical period of engineering validation, with CAS research teams continuously breaking through core technologies to “lay the foundation” for commercialization.
Thorium Molten Salt Experimental Reactor complex on the Gobi Desert. Photo courtesy of SINAP.
In the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor, the GH3535 alloy serves as the “lifeline material” for key equipment — it must withstand the extreme challenges of “700°C+ high temperature, highly corrosive molten salt erosion, and intense radiation.” Leveraging years of R&D expertise in superalloys, Shangda Co., Ltd. has enabled this alloy to achieve a perfect balance of ultra-high strength, exceptional corrosion resistance, and long-term irradiation stability, making it a “rock-solid” equipment guardian under extreme environments.
Shangda Co., Ltd. has been fully committed to the development of Thorium Molten Salt Reactors for many years. From small-batch R&D, trial production, and validation at the tens-of-kilograms scale, to successfully winning the bid in October 2025 for the “GH3535 Alloy Material Procurement Project for the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Key Equipment and Technology Development Project of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences,” the company has achieved industrial-scale mass production. It has become one of the core suppliers of key materials for Thorium Molten Salt Reactors, adding a powerful tool for “independent and controllable” nuclear power in China.
Shangda Co., Ltd. ALD Vacuum Induction Melting Furnace
From critical aerospace components to core nuclear power equipment parts, Shangda Co., Ltd. has always anchored itself to the goal of “strengthening the nation through materials,” continuously achieving breakthroughs in the fields of superalloys and high-end specialty alloys. This collaboration with the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor project is a vivid manifestation of the company‘s commitment to “serving the nation through industry” — enabling high-end materials to become the “backbone” of major national strategic equipment and giving China’s nuclear power industry a stronger voice on the world stage. Going forward, Shangda Co., Ltd. will continue to wield the brush of technological innovation and the ink of industrial responsibility to write more legends of “Intelligent Manufacturing in China” in high-end equipment manufacturing fields such as fourth-generation nuclear power, controlled nuclear fusion, aerospace, gas turbines and steam turbines, and semiconductors, injecting surging momentum into energy security and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening!