Of late there is renewed interest in thorium based nuclear power in other countries as well. China for instance is beginning to prioritize this as a research area, especially the investigation into molten salt reactor (MSR) technology for thorium utilization. Is there any danger of India's lead in the thorium domain eroding?
To the best of my knowledge nobody in the world has, till date, closed the thorium fuel cycle on an industrial scale. I think, our activities in the area of thorium research are more advanced towards that end than anybody else's. Our leadership in the area of scientific publications covering thorium based research establishes that.
India is also investigating Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) technology. We have molten salt loops operational at BARC.