Government researchers in China have unveiled their design for a commercial molten salt nuclear reactor that is expected to be the first in the world to not use water for cooling, a report in the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post claimed.

Because the thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) plant will not need water it can be deployed in desert regions, allowing operators to use otherwise desolate spaces in order to provide energy for large populations.

The molten salt reactor is powered by liquid thorium instead of uranium. Molten salt reactors are expected to be safer than traditional uranium nuclear reactors because thorium cools and solidifies quickly in the open air, meaning that a leak would theoretically result in less radiation contamination for the surrounding environment.