NTHU signs deal with NuCube to study replacing aging THOR reactor
National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) has signed an agreement with US nuclear microreactor developer NuCube Energy to explore replacing its aging Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor (THOR). The partnership will assess technology, research applications and deployment feasibility for nuclear education, researc
National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) signed an agreement with US nuclear microreactor developer NuCube Energy yesterday to explore replacing the university's aging Tsing Hua Open-pool Reactor (THOR). The cooperation will assess technology, research applications and deployment feasibility to sustain nuclear education, research and medical services, the university said.
Potential applications include boron neutron capture therapy, a cancer treatment, and isotope production, according to an NTHU statement. University President W. John Kao and NuCube CEO Cristian Rabiti signed the agreement at a news conference in Taipei, an exploratory step toward possible deployment of a NuCube microreactor to replace THOR, which began operating in 1961 and is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2040.
Speaking afterward, Yeh Tsung-kuang, dean of NTHU's College of Nuclear Science, described the partnership as mutually beneficial: the university wanted to understand NuCube's reactors, while its expertise could help expand their research and medical applications. Rabiti told the news conference that NuCube planned its first deployment for the end of 2029.
"Today we signed; from tomorrow the real work will start," he said. "We have a lot to do together." NTHU hopes to install a reactor within two years after NuCube achieves commercial operation in the United States, the university said. Yeh said that contact with Taiwan's Nuclear Safety Commission was already underway.
NuCube is separately working with Idaho State University on a proposed research and test reactor intended for education and technology demonstration rather than electricity generation. NTHU said it would invite Taiwanese manufacturers to participate in equipment and component supply, and could share deployment experience and provide technical advice to interested companies.
The agreement follows a podcast interview released last Friday in which President William Lai said restarting existing nuclear reactors would require assurances of safety, a solution for nuclear waste and public consensus. "We should not exclude any energy source because of ideology, nor disregard environmental sustainability for short-term benefits," Lai said.
On workforce development, Yeh Tsung-kuang, dean of NTHU's College of Nuclear Science, said the university's Institute of Nuclear Engineering and Science attracted 66 applicants for 11 places this year, describing the interest as unprecedented in the past decade. Previously, attracting even 11 applicants had been difficult, he said, attributing the increased interest to a changing policy climate.
