The Thorium Reactor
That evening at the Unicorn residence. “A thorium reactor? You were interested in the reactor business too? No, when did you even start that?” Tiffany asked after Yoo Jae-won mentioned he would need to head to the ID High-Tech laboratory in Seattle the next day to view the experimental reactor for technical verification. Since it was no longer a secret, he answered honestly that it was a thorium reactor, and Tiffany’s visible reaction followed.
“Hmm. It’s been quite a while. We started right when we established the High-Tech research institute.”
“Eh! Then that means it’s been over fifteen years?” Tiffany’s startled expression was completely genuine. Realizing that Yoo Jae-won had begun work expecting success with the thorium reactor from the very founding of the research institute made her appreciate just how early his foresight had begun, and she was once again astonished by his age at the time.
“Ah, that’s not quite right.” Yoo Jae-won, feeling burdened by Tiffany’s sparkling eyes, quickly added an explanation. “Among the doctors we brought over during the Russian economic collapse, many specialized in nuclear energy. I simply let them do whatever they wanted.”
“Isn’t that even more impressive? A chairman who provides ample time and budget!”
“Is that so?”
ID High-Tech was a research organization for developing leading-edge technologies ahead of their time. In practice, however, it functioned as the place that produced whatever products Yoo Jae-won desired. Having returned from the mid-twenty-first century, where he had been surrounded by the latest technology, everything around him now felt inconvenient and slow. The only reason his current standard of living had reached a satisfactory level was because ID High-Tech had manufactured the items he wanted.
For example, the 65-inch HDTVs decorating the living room and master bedroom of his mansion were custom-made products that even ID Electronics could not produce. The doctors at ID High-Tech had carefully selected high-yield LCD panels from the Suwon factory, brought them to the laboratory, and assembled them one by one by hand. The hardware boards for video signal processing, input/output functions for connecting to various devices, and IoT connectivity features had all been created at the High-Tech laboratory as well. The finished product now occupied Yoo Jae-won’s master bedroom. Yet that was not the end of it—the technology accumulated while building the prototype was passed directly to ID Electronics to improve the quality of mass-produced models. Drones, now commonplace in the video production industry, were another such creation.
Whenever Yoo Jae-won provided a blueprint, the doctors at the High-Tech laboratory completed the product by maximizing the application of existing technology or developing entirely new solutions. In contrast, the recently completed thorium reactor was the result of quietly supporting the doctors so they could pursue what they wanted. Yoo Jae-won’s master plan for next-generation energy was naturally room-temperature nuclear fusion power generation, and he already had a roadmap for it. Moreover, the nuclear physicists recruited to the ID High-Tech laboratory had originally been brought in to prevent North Korea’s nuclear program from advancing. Those doctors had been profitable even if they did nothing, yet the modest budget and generous time provided to them had produced the miracle of the thorium reactor—an S-Class item.
For reference, although Yoo Jae-won knew the cheat code of room-temperature fusion technology, the thorium reactor still possessed sufficient market viability due to technical constraints. Even by the accelerated standards of the present, room-temperature fusion would not become feasible until after 2030.
“I want to see it too.” Tiffany’s engineering-student mindset remained intact, her eyes sparkling at the mention of the thorium reactor.
“Then let’s go together.”
“I’d like to, but I have an important presentation and can’t make the time.”
“Ah, the ESPO Pipeline business participation.”
“Yes! Unfortunately, the presentation is in three days.”
The ESPO Pipeline was as important to Yoo Jae-won’s East Asian strategy as the thorium reactor. Although Korea already had stable energy import routes, the Middle East remained a powder keg whose political situation could shift at any moment. It had now become an unknown domain even Yoo Jae-won could not predict. With America’s absence, civil war had broken out in Iraq, Europe and Russia had become involved, and Islamic fundamentalism was rapidly gaining strength. Iran remained Korea’s largest source of crude oil imports, so it was somewhat removed from the Iraqi civil war. However, once the ESPO Pipeline was connected, oil and gas could be supplied far more cheaply and stably than importing from Iran. The price could be lowered enough that households could run gas boilers freely without worrying about gas bills. As an added bonus, it would provide a clue to solving China’s fine dust problem.
China’s energy demand had exploded since the mid-2010s, and the country had met it with coal. The enormous fine dust emitted by coal power plants was carried by northwest winds directly to the Korean Peninsula during winter and spring. Replacing that demand with gas and oil would eliminate the fine dust disasters of the previous timeline. Additionally, Russia and Chevron gaining a foothold in China’s energy security would bring significant advantages.
“Ah, that’s in three days?”
“Yes!”
Although Tiffany never brought work home, she often discussed company matters with Yoo Jae-won. Sometimes she sought his advice, and other times she simply wanted empathy. Whenever that happened, Yoo Jae-won listened with genuine attention. Thanks to this, he was well informed about Tiffany’s upcoming presentation.
“If there’s anything I can help with, just tell me.”
“Hey, the best thing is not to create a situation where you need to help!”
“Right, right! I’ll trust you then.”
Though Tiffany spoke confidently, she had no idea how much reassurance Yoo Jae-won gave her.
“You be careful too when you go to Seattle. Don’t go anywhere too dangerous. Even if the thorium reactor is safe, it’s not a fusion reactor. It still uses radioactive materials like conventional reactors, so take it easy.”
“Of course.”
Yoo Jae-won was second to none when it came to health and safety. No one understood better than he how precious the life he now enjoyed truly was. Yet Tiffany still seemed uneasy, so she made him promise by linking fingers.
The next day, Yoo Jae-won arrived in Seattle. After transferring to a helicopter at Seattle Airport and flying roughly 100 kilometers east, the small town of Waterville came into view. A little farther north lay ID High-Tech’s nuclear physics laboratory. Although it researched the safe thorium reactor, it still handled nuclear materials, so a location with low population density and stable geology had been chosen. That place was Waterville.
“It’s not a small city—it’s a small town. Was there no problem when you first installed the reactor?”
Waterville’s population was under two thousand. The downtown area was so small it could be walked across in less than ten minutes. Even this number had only risen after ID High-Tech’s branch laboratory was established; ten years earlier, the resident population had barely exceeded one thousand. That was understandable, since the industries supporting the town were agriculture—corn, wheat, and grapes. On the other hand, since cleanliness was essential for farming, it would have been a lie to say there had been no controversy over placing a reactor dozens of kilometers from farmland.
“It would be a lie to say there wasn’t.”
Nevertheless, the fact that the experimental reactor had been able to remain near Waterville until now was thanks to ID Group’s full support.
“Full support?”
Full support that even Yoo Jae-won himself did not know about? Thinking about it, it was theoretically possible. Yoo Jae-won was not merely a manager but also a developer. He spent so much time in front of a computer every day that he had far less time to focus on management than other owners. Consequently, considerable authority had been delegated to the president and executives. Supporting a town as small as Waterville was well within the scope of Director Andrei’s authority. Of course, along with delegating such extensive authority, various checks and balances, including audits, had been put in place. Yoo Jae-won’s most trusted monitoring tool was, of course, AI Gold. Even someone as upright as Vice Chairman Choi Kang-wook was still human and therefore prone to mistakes. But AI Gold could monitor everything perfectly without error. If funds had flowed from ID High-Tech to any suspicious places, Gold would certainly have reported it—yet Yoo Jae-won had never received such a report from Gold.
“It may seem insignificant from the chairman’s perspective, but it was a considerable amount for the people here. In addition, the convenience facilities built for our researchers have been opened to the locals and received a positive response.”
Yoo Jae-won immediately understood Director Andrei’s words.
“Would you like to take a look around?”
“It’s fine. The reactor takes priority right now.”
At Yoo Jae-won’s words, Director Andrei drove straight through Waterville. After leaving the small town-like city and heading north, they reached the foothills of low mountains, followed by a heavily guarded checkpoint and a long barbed-wire fence.
“This is it.”
“It looks like a place of exile.”
At a glance, it resembled a prison camp holding people who had committed serious crimes.
“Haha, the researchers actually call it Waterville Prison among themselves.”
However, once inside, the actual facilities were a million light-years away from any prison. The important reactor and research facilities were located underground, while the surface featured well-designed residential quarters. The residential area resembled a small resort situated in a quiet location. Guided by Director Andrei, Yoo Jae-won entered the laboratory and finally came face to face with the waiting thorium research team.
“This is Team Leader Clark Sorensen. He is the institute’s top talent, responsible for everything from the theory of the thorium reactor to the design and construction of the experimental reactor, TBR M6.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Yoo Jae-won.”
“Yes! Clark Sorensen!”
The Indian-American team leader Clark shook hands with Yoo Jae-won, his face flushed with excitement. Until ten years ago, Clark Sorensen had worked at India’s Indira Atomic Research Centre. Looking at global thorium reserves, India and China were competing for first and second place. India possessed substantial thorium deposits. The Indira Atomic Research Centre was among the world’s top-tier institutions. Having begun related research in the 1970s, one could feel how long-term India’s investment in this field had been. Yet due to the limitations of the country itself, India had produced no results to date. While the scale of social infrastructure differed, an even greater blow came from the caste system. Clark Sorensen had been the one most affected by it.
India’s caste system placed the lowest tier, known as Shudras or untouchables, at the very bottom. Clark Sorensen’s parents belonged to the untouchable caste. Officially, India had abolished the caste system, but it remained deeply entrenched in society—even within the elite Indira Atomic Research Centre, where the brightest minds gathered. Clark Sorensen, however, possessed a mind so exceptional that even the United States had coveted it. Thanks to this, he had been able to immigrate to America with his parents. At the same time, he changed his Indian name, Gautama, to Clark—a name taken from the Superman he had watched as a child. Furthermore, as if his great fortune had arrived in America, Director Andrei had noticed him, recruited him to ID High-Tech, and made him head of the thorium reactor project.
“This friend is the youngest in the team, but he’s the real deal—just like the chairman.”
Calling the late-thirties Clark Sorensen young made Yoo Jae-won feel awkward. Yet looking at the entire thorium reactor research team, it made sense. Aside from Clark Sorensen, there was not a single person in their thirties. The next youngest was in their late forties, and the majority were in their fifties and sixties.
“Well then, before we go see the actual reactor, you’ll need to change into protective clothing.”
No matter how safe the thorium reactor was, the model designed by Team Leader Clark required high-concentration nuclear materials such as uranium. Proper protective suits had to be worn before approaching the reactor.
A short while later, Yoo Jae-won came face to face with the thorium reactor located deep underground. Being an experimental model, it was small in size. Its shape also differed from the conventional reactors Yoo Jae-won knew. Existing reactors, whether light-water or heavy-water, required large quantities of water. During the Soviet era, there had been graphite-moderated models that solved the coolant problem, but after the Chernobyl disaster, new installations had nearly disappeared. The thorium reactor, however, had the advantage that when the neutron supply was cut off, the nuclear fission chain reaction also stopped, so it was far less dependent on coolant. That did not mean water was completely unnecessary. The enormous heat generated by the thorium reactor was used to heat water, which then drove gas turbines to produce electricity—just like conventional power plants.
“Its output is a modest 6 MW, but its safety is outstanding, just as stated in the report. Thanks to this, the people of Waterville were able to spend last winter warm without worrying about electricity.”
One of the recently introduced benefits ID High-Tech provided to Waterville was free electricity. All the electricity generated by operating this M6 experimental thorium reactor was sent to Waterville and nearby small towns. However, in case of any sudden problems during test operation that might cause an outage, the existing power facilities had been left in place while a new power grid was established. As a result, when the experimental reactor was not operating, residents used electricity as usual and paid their bills, but when it was running, they could use it for free. Unfortunately, the people of Waterville could not distinguish in real time which electricity they were using. Instead, they only found out when their monthly electricity bill arrived at the end of the month. Since the experimental reactor had begun stable operation last winter, the residents of Waterville had been paying only the base fee.
“Excellent. Then, would it be possible to scale this up?”
“Of course. The commercial reactor design is nearly complete. How much capacity would you like, Chairman?”
“Around two hundred times this size should be good.”
“Pardon? Two hundred times?”
“Yes. For practical use, it needs to exceed 1 GW, don’t you think?”
At the word “practical use,” Team Leader Clark’s eyes lit up. His grand dream was to replace existing nuclear power plants—filled with every disadvantage from nuclear waste to radioactive leakage—with thorium reactors. Although it was only an experimental model, successfully building a small thorium reactor had made that dream feel much closer, but he had not expected it to happen right now!
“It’s possible! It’s possible!”
The excited Team Leader Clark answered in a voice so loud that even Director Andrei was startled.