Moon Power - China Pursuit of Lunar Helium-3

Mining & Minerals - Evaluations / Off-World Exploration, Mining, & Technology

Date posted: 08/07/14

Fabrizio Bozzato reports that the equitable development of fusion fuel on the moon could be a catalyst for clean energy and a global renaissance. As the world largest energy consumer, China is deeply aware of the imperative of addressing its energy trilemma and how to simultaneously achieve and balance energy security, energy equity (access and affordability), and environmental sustainability in the coming decades, and is determined to develop clean and unconventional power to quench its thirst for energy. Indeed, powering an economy the size of China, especially by mid-century, solely by burning massive quantities of finite fossil fuels and relying on conventional nuclear power is not a viable option. For this reason, China is devoting considerable resources to the most futuristic and elusive of unconventional energies - nuclear fusion. Most research in nuclear fusion has focused on deuterium and or tritium (heavy isotopes of hydrogen) as the fuel used to generate the fusion. Deuterium is found in abundance in all water on earth, while tritium is not found in nature but can be produced by the neutron bombardment of lithium. However, nuclear fusion could become much more attainable by shifting to another isotope on the periodic table: helium-3. Lunar exploration and resource development could end up encouraging international cooperation and build confidence. If the space-faring nations see a common destiny, then creative politics, diplomacy, and new legal frameworks could be used as instruments for good governance and an equitable sharing of the spoils. A new international regime for the joint development of lunar helium-3 would then be viable, with all the possibilities for the planet that would entail.