Copenhagen Atomics and Rare Earths Norway agree supply deal for thorium
The collaboration aims to explore how thorium separated during rare-earth production can be safely processed.
The firms have signed a Letter of Intent to secure thorium, a by-product from Rare Earths Norway's Fensfeltet deposit.
It is the key fertile material in Copenhagen Atomics’ molten salt reactor technology.
Copenhagen Atomics is developing a modular, containerised, thorium, molten-salt reactor for mass manufacturing and large-scale deployment. Industrial-scale deployment and assembly-line production of the reactors require parallel scaling of fuel and material supply chains.
Thorium occurs naturally in the Fensfeltet deposit and has historically been treated as a by-product. Through this partnership, the material may instead become a valuable energy resource.
By defining a potential end-use pathway, the collaboration addresses both regulatory handling and long-term material stewardship, aligning mining practices with future energy applications.
Rare Earths Norway emphasises that the agreement represents a milestone in responsible management of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) associated with mining operations.
Alf Reistad, Managing Director of Rare Earths Norway, says, 'Through extensive R&D work, we have developed processes for the safe handling of radioactivity in mining operations. With our new agreements, we also resolve the issue of commercialisation and final management of thorium. This is a decisive breakthrough for the responsible development of Fensfeltet and for realising the full value potential of the deposit.'
Copenhagen Atomics expects its first nuclear test reactor to operate at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, with commercial deployment targeted in the early 2030s. Recently, they successfully completed two years of continuous operation of a molten salt pump and test loop at the firm's facilities in Copenhagen, Denmark.
