Thorium-fueled Molten Salt reactors can be made MUCH smaller than Uranium-fueled Light Water reactors. And there is one HUGE advantage to the thorium MS reactors - they are not fissile, so there is no such thing as “runaway” core meltdown. But the thorium fuel is fertile, meaning that once reaction is started (by mixing in a small amount of “spent” uranium fuel rod material) to initiate the chain reaction, the thorium continues to produce power until depleted, at which time there are far fewer long-lived radioactive isotopes, than there are with “spent” uranium fuel rods.
The thorium fuel cycle has several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle, including thorium’s greater abundance, superior physical and nuclear properties, reduced plutonium and actinide production, and better resistance to nuclear weapons proliferation (very little plutonium is produced, most of which is “burned” in the breeder cycle).
Mostly not true.
The “thorium cycle” is actually a uranium cycle, just a different uranium isotope. Thorium is mostly Th-232 (non radioactive). Neutrons convert Th-232 into U-233, which IS fissile, and which CAN be made into bombs. It is just much more difficult to isolate the fissile uranium from the fertile thorium due to the much higher level or radiation involved. IIRC, U-233 is highly gamma radioactive. Plutonium is not.
Thorium is being sold as an energy panacea.....it isn’t.
(Note....I am all in favor of fission power, even using current technology, but believe in being accurate about what is possible.)