Thorium Man

S

stonedinvestor

Some people get hit by lightning and suddenly talk in ancient languages. Some suddenly can compose great music. I dived awkwardly into a swimming pool and got so much water in my ear half of my head is paralyzed. I can't hear the cheers of the fans anymore. Somehow with no sleep in two days I have awoken as a man obsessed with Thorium.

This is how it happened A gentleman came to view my mother's house for sale and he is the CEO of a tiny company called Thorium Power, he was talking about his company and what Thorium could potentially do and I caught whiff of it I guess- suddenly I'm at the computer at 3:00 in the morning with the stuffed head and the lack of senses... and the wine... and the sudden urge to just accumulate a tone of this guys company started to come over me.

I need a Mort Zuckermen play I've been whining to anyone who will listen I need massive amounts of something that will be huge... We've cycled through Wind, Batteries, Solar... what next? More Nukes obviously is the way to go >but the waste! the terrible waste, no one wants it in their backyard... well Thorium can treat that waste and make into face cream!.. Well not face cream but make it far better as you will find out.

This is now the official record of my maddening decent into the shadowy world of Thorium. Strap your seatbelts on folks this bumpy ride will take us from US to Russia to the back offices of Washington's elite to India and France and to the darkest regions of long term investing. ~ stoney
 
incase anyone was wondering wtf is thorium and wtf is it for

As an alloying element in magnesium, imparting high strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures.
Thorium is used to coat tungsten wire used in electronic equipment, improving the electron emission of heated cathodes.
Thorium has been used in gas tungsten arc welding electrodes and heat-resistant ceramics.
Uranium-thorium age dating has been used to date hominid fossils.
As a fertile material for producing nuclear fuel. In particular, the proposed energy amplifier reactor design would employ thorium. Since thorium is more abundant than uranium, some nuclear reactor designs incorporate thorium in their fuel cycle.
Thorium is a very effective radiation shield, although it has not been used for this purpose as much as lead or depleted uranium.
Thorium may be used in nuclear reactors instead of uranium as fuel. This produces less transuranic waste.
Applications of thorium dioxide (ThO2):

Mantles in portable gas lights. These mantles glow with a dazzling light (unrelated to radioactivity) when heated in a gas flame.
Used to control the grain size of tungsten used for electric lamps.
Used for high-temperature laboratory crucibles.
Added to glass, it helps create glasses of a high refractive index and with low dispersion. Consequently, they find application in high-quality lenses for cameras and scientific instruments.
Has been used as a catalyst:
In the conversion of ammonia to nitric acid.
In petroleum cracking.
In producing sulfuric acid.
Thorium dioxide is the active ingredient of Thorotrast, which was used as part of X-ray diagnostics. This use has been abandoned due to the carcinogenic nature of Thorotrast.
 
>"Burning" uranium-238 produces a fissile isotope (plutonium-239) that "burns" inefficiently in a thermal (slowed-down) neutron spectrum and does not produce enough neutrons to sustain the consumption of uranium-238.
>"Burning" thorium-232 produces a fissile isotope (uranium-233) that burns efficiently in a thermal neutron spectrum and produces
enough neutrons to sustain the consumption of thorium. Therefore, thorium is a preferable fuel, if used in a neutronically efficient reactor.

We must build thousands of thorium reactors to displace coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium as energy sources. .


How much thorium would it take to power the whole world?

>thorium, if efficiently utilized in a liquid-fluoride reactor, is an energy source of such magnitude that it is not difficult to conceive of an entire planet powered by thorium.

>In 2003, it was estimated that the world produced 16.5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity. It's probably a lot more now thanks to China...If this had all been produced by liquid-fluoride thorium reactors, this would have required 1500 metric tones of thorium.
>Future energy projections foresee electrical production reaching 21.4 trillion kilowatt-hours by 2015. To bring the entire world's population up to the level of the average American's electrical consumption would require 80 trillion kilowatt-hours.

Is 1500 metric tones a lot? Well, consider that until recently, the United States had 3216 metric tones of thorium nitrate in storage. Recently, this thorium was deemed worthless by the government and buried at the Nevada Test Site!! (more on this later- it could be dug up for free)>Thorium is a very dense material, and 1500 metric tones of thorium metal would only occupy 130 cubic meters of volume, or about the volume of a room 23 ft on a side and 9 feet high! Yikes talk about a box to drop on Wylie Coyote- that's a heavy load.


How does this compare to conventional (solid-core uranium) nuclear? In 2002, the world's nuclear reactors produced 2.56 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity and consumed 67,000 metric tones of uranium to do it. That is equivalent to only 0.038 billion kilowatt-hours per metric tone of uranium.

Why such a disparity between thorium at 11 TWH/MT and uranium at 0.038 TWH/MT? Because today's nuclear only utilizes the small (0.7%) amount of uranium that is fissile (U-235), and only ends up using about half of that. Light-water reactors burning scarce U-235 and converting it to electricity at 33% efficiency are just less efficient than liquid-fluoride thorium reactors at 50% efficiency.

It is worth considering for a moment that the thorium required to fuel the entire world's electrical needs would fit in a reasonably sized room, and the thorium required would only be about 2% of the mass of uranium mined today.

Short The Uranium miners!

To be continued....
 
Enter the guy I want to buy my mom's house.

How would you like to invest with a company with 2 employees? Sounds like low overhead to me let's investigate further.

There is a problem with old nuclear warheads in Russia they are decaying and someone something has to make them less dangerous to the world's ecosystem and keep them out of the hands of bad guys. Some want to bury them at the earth's core in glass box's etc. A French firm, Areva (investment idea*) is in the lead with "MOX" a challenging system to Thorium.

Our 2 man firm has spent TEN years in small labs in Russia doing tests and is awaiting FINAL funding by someone- the Russian's The American's anyone. Their take on the problem is not to BURY the problem THEIR TECHNOLOGY CAN TURN THOSE OLD WARHEADS INTO electricity! This is the holy grail of decommissioning warheads folks and our gov is very interested too.

The Final Test would be to burn weapons grade plutonium in a commercial Russian reactor... If successful the Russians could begin burning all this toxic headache up in as short as three years.

I think this is a good opportunity to formally introduce our company- Thorium Power (THPW).
This is a licensing story folks they won't be doing the heavy lifting they have done the research and own the patents. firms chosen multiple firms competitive bidding none of this matters if it plays out royalties from everyone to Thorium Power. This alone will be tens of million of dollars.

Of course I'm thinking about the LARGER market of hey we need new reactors can they be Thorium based? I think so. Today hundreds of millions are spent just on storing the highly toxic plutonium waste... We can turn their waste into MORE FUEL it's like COWBOY COFFEE folks! Put her through the filter again.

Ok in 1992 Thorium Power then private started to develop a thorium-plutonium fuel pack for use in Russian reactors. They moved all their R&D over to Russia and still got partial US Gov funding... In 1994 the respected Kurchatov institute in Russia got on board and helped with the working model.

Today folks I've learned 500 Russian Nuclear Scientists still work on this Thorium project in Kurchatov. The work has been funded by $12 million in VC money and more than $5 mil from the US Gov. Russia has also contributed but calls for a precise figure were met with a weird guy offering me tea. I passed.

Here's when the damn Mox comes into the picture. MOX stands for Mixed Oxides and was developed by a French GOVERNMENT OWNED firm Areva. Ah the intrigue deepens. Unfortunately in a pre mature decision the Energy Dept Natl Nuclear safety Admin has selected MOX to dispose of plutonium in surplus US warheads and since they have their finger in this funding and Russia's future with these weapons they are loathe to admit their own mistake employed here or have very little incentive to embrace new technologies for the Russian project.

That's why Thorium Power spends a lot of time with the US senators. Thorium backers on the Hill are Senate Minority Leader harry Reid!!! (D-Nevada carries a big stick) and Rep's Jim Gibbons (R-Nevada again) Guess where that Yucca mountain is located? The spot where they want to bury all the radioactive crap... Hey what get's shipped to Vegas -stays in Vegas! senator John warner is on our team another big fish (R-Virginia) And Rep Curt Weldon a Penn republican who is on the House armed Services committee. Here's the big Sarbanes Oxley quote from our CEO, Mr Grae. " We Have Strong Indications that the project will receive additional Gov funding this year. " Well that was said in March of 06'....

Lets just realize ONE THING. Our Thorium Fuel pack is so easily modified into the current reactors that a Thorium plant up and running is $100 million and to do it with MOX is $1 BILLION PER PLANT. I don't know how much back $'s was passed around for France to get this contract.. but I'm betting it doesn't get done. Too expensive in light of thorium and that's the reason why those 500 Russian scientists are still pursuing this.

Oh and commercialization? Three years for Thorium TEN plus for MOX.

It's David VS Goliath folks our 2 person company vs a multi-billion dollar MOX industry. we've got corporate spys everywhere folks! AND SO ARE THE TERRORISTS.

We need to get these warheads decommissioned as fast as possible, before some rogue state buys one from some renegade Russian General. The MOX plan is so stupid because Russia won't let any of the weapons out of country. It will take 10 years of testing in Russian reactors.

I have uncovered a report of last April from Westinghouse Electric. Yes I thought they were long gone too. Apparently it remains a nuclear engineering firm. The Dept Of Energy eager to fortify their MOX decisions employed impartial westinghouse to compare the two rival technologies. Thorium was chosen over MOX!
" The bottom line is that from a technical standpoint Thorium looks like good technology and from the perspective of burning weapons grade plutonium, it is preferable to all others " Whoops! The report has been buried for now.

With all we now know... can Thorium Power steal Russia away from MOX and then turn the US this way as well?

To Be Continued....
 
In Jan of this year a guy from a site called Gold Stock Bull penned something on a Uranium mining company for SeekingAlpha that had this interesting aside...


Clean Energy Solution
Another factor fueling the uranium craze is concern over global warming. Unlike energy derived from coal and other carbon-based fuels, nuclear energy production emits no greenhouse gas. However, experts are still grappling with a safe and sustainable method of storing or disposing of nuclear waste. While the current solution is not perfect, there is support even amongst members of Greenpeace, with founder Patrick Moore stating that nuclear power offers a “non-greenhouse gas-emitting power source that can effectively replace fossil fuels and satisfy global demand.”

One solution offering promise is using Thorium rather than Uranium in nuclear reactors. Thorium, a close cousin of uranium, is cleaner and safer than current nuclear fuel, and more of it can be extracted from the ground. There is far less dangerous waste and the leftover material is not suitable for weapons use. Speaking of Thorium, we have been researching a company that has been partnering with the U.S. and Russian governments on a new technology to use Thorium to generate power. The stock price is still extremely cheap and could be a home run if the technology comes around. Make sure to subscribe to our articles via the email subscription or RSS, as we plan to profile this company in the near future.

.... And this from a June 07 analyst interview...

Earlier this year I mentioned thorium. This relatively unknown heavy metal can be used to produce nuclear power in much the same way as uranium with the happy difference that its waste is much less radio-active, making it both easier and safer to dispose of. It is also much more plentiful than uranium and has a half-life of only 500 years rather than tens of thousands.

In Norway, Bergen Energy has already applied to build a thorium-based power plant. In February, I suggested buying shares in US-listed company Thorium Power, which is testing thorium in Russia and hopes to be using it commercially in the next three to four years. Those willing to take even more of a gamble might also look to the tiny UK-listed All Star Minerals, which has registered to explore for thorium in Sweden.

Oh baby I found a research report for you on All Star.
@http://www.allstarminerals.com/pdfs/all-star-broker-report.pdf
 
THPW in 2005 was 25 cents about where it is now. There is no downside that I can imagine things have only gotten better and better. It made a run once to 75 cents . They have 7.7 million in cash and are burning through $2.5 million every 3 months... This is how they came public.

About Thorium Power, Inc.

Thorium Power, Inc. was founded in 1992 to develop technology invented by Dr. Alvin Radkowsky, the first chief scientist of the U.S. Naval Reactors program under Admiral H.G. Rickover from 1950-1972 and head of the design team of the first commercial nuclear power plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. The Company was formed to develop and deploy nuclear fuel designs developed by Dr. Radkowsky to stop the production of weapons suitable plutonium and eliminate existing plutonium stockpiles. Thorium Power, Inc. has been collaborating with nuclear scientists and engineers at Russia's prestigious Kurchatov Institute since 1994. Thorium Power, Inc., a privately-held Washington, DC area-based company develops and deploys Thorium based nuclear fuel designs developed to stop the production of weapons-suitable plutonium and eliminate existing plutonium stockpiles.

Website: www.thoriumpower.com

About Novastar Resources

Novastar Resources Ltd. is a publicly traded company within the commercial mining sector and is a significant commercial mining source of Thorium, a naturally occurring metal that can be used to provide nuclear energy, with non-proliferation, waste, and economic advantages, in comparison to standard Uranium fuels.

The acquisition of Thorium Power would strengthen the Novastar Resources business model by combining the intellectual property assets of Thorium Power with the mineral properties of Novastar Resources and the benefits of being a publicly-traded company. In addition, upon closing of the proposed merger, Seth Grae will be named the CEO of the combined company.

India is the world's largest miner of Thorium by the way. Sterlite Ind might be worth a look India's largest miner SLT.
 
Here is the latest missive from the company.

Thorium Power Provides Business Update for the Second Quarter of 2007
Reports on High Level Discussions With Foreign Governments and Global Enterprises for the Deployment of Non-Proliferative, Low-Waste Nuclear Fuel
MCLEAN, VA, Aug 09, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Thorium Power Ltd. (OTCBB: THPW), the leading developer of low-waste, non-proliferative nuclear fuel technology for existing and future reactors, today provided a business update for the second quarter ended June 30, 2007.

Seth Grae, CEO of Thorium Power, stated, "We are making strides in bringing our thorium-based fuel designs to the forefront as a viable solution to nuclear proliferation concerns and environmental issues around the world. Specific to Thorium Power, in recent communications we have indicated we are actively engaged in very high level discussions with foreign governments and global commercial entities regarding the utilization of Thorium Power's fuel designs in existing and new reactors that are slated to be built or are in the planning stage. These discussions, confidential as they are, continue to progress diligently. We continue to be both confident and encouraged by the level of interest in our fuel designs."

In general, interest in thorium-based fuels continues to gain momentum as a number of countries publicly state their interest in the fuel source. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, India's ex-president and one of the country's foremost scientists, continues to reiterate his steadfast support for a thorium-based nuclear industry. Furthermore, India's Cabinet recently approved the US-India nuclear cooperation agreement, bringing both countries ever closer to completing the landmark deal. Elsewhere, there have been positive developments in Scandinavia with Sweden and Norway now actively seeking to utilize thorium fuel designs. All of these notable developments are closely aligned with the publication of major research reports (OECD, PricewaterhouseCoopers, BP) marking the global resurgence of nuclear energy and growing interest from "new nuclear" nations such as India.

Mr. Grae continued, "It is quite important for both investors and industry to recognize the significant uniqueness of our fuel designs. Most importantly, Thorium Power's proprietary technology is proliferation resistant. Quite simply, Thorium Power's fuel designs do not produce weapons-usable materials in spent fuel. Additionally, our fuels significantly reduce nuclear waste, yielding approximately fifty percent reduction by volume, seventy percent reduction by weight, and ninety percent reduction in long-term radio-toxicity."

"Changing the status quo is not an easy task, but we took on the challenge in 1991 when Dr. Alvin Radkowsky, a co-founder of Thorium Power and a pioneer designer of nuclear fuels and reactors, approached us to transform his latest fuel designs into a commercially viable solution to nuclear proliferation and the increasing burdens of nuclear waste. We have since moved beyond the science phase, and our fuels have been undergoing a demonstration process in a research reactor and test facilities in Russia for over three years. We have built a very strong patent portfolio and look forward to filing additional patents that we expect to provide patent protection for an additional 20 years from the date of filing."

Mr. Grae concluded, "Overall, we are extremely encouraged by the outlook for the business heading into the second half of 2007 with a diverse portfolio of market opportunities and a marked increase in interest for thorium-based nuclear fuels around the world. In the months ahead, we will pursue these opportunities with the help of our technical and international advisory boards, both of which are comprised of key industry leaders, including former executives of both Westinghouse and GE Nuclear that have successfully and profitably deployed nuclear fuels and nuclear reactors around the world."

Total revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2007 was $0, compared to $0 for the same period in 2006. Operating loss for the three months ended June 30, 2007 was $2.5 million, compared to operating loss of $26,000 for the same period last year. Net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2007 was $2.5 million, or $0.01 per share, compared to net loss of $581,000 or $0.01 per share, for the same period in 2006. As of June 30, 2007, the company had approximately $7.7 million of cash and cash equivalents and $7.2 million of working capital.
 
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