Statewide Thorium MSR Deployment and UBI VisionThis proposal starts with a 2 GWe deployment in CD2 and scales to a statewide system that generates massive public revenue from thorium power, brackish desalination, brine mineral extraction, and synthetic fuel exports. All infrastructure is 100% state-owned and operated. No private companies. No profit extraction. No geographic monopolies. Every dollar of revenue returns to Nevadans through lower bills, land restoration, infrastructure, and direct payments via a Universal Basic Income (UBI) program.
Phase 1 – CD2 Foundation (2 GWe)
• 20 modular 100 MWe units clustered in Reno-Sparks, Carson Valley, Elko-White Pine, Humboldt-Churchill-Pershing, and Eureka-Lander.
• Provides full electricity self-sufficiency for CD2 (~11 TWh/year), ~980 million m³/year desalinated water, aquifer recharge, and initial restoration on 100,000–300,000 hectares of degraded land.
• Capital cost: ~$12 billion (Years 1–10 rollout).
• Annual revenue at full operation: ~$8.2 billion
• Brine minerals: ~$5.5 billion/year (detailed below)
• Power and water savings/sales: ~$1.2 billion/year
• Synthetic fuels: ~$1.5 billion/year
• Supports statewide UBI of $200/month per person ($8.1 billion/year total for ~3.3 million residents).
• Water supply duration: With at least 1 billion acre-feet of brackish reserves statewide, extraction at this rate lasts ~1,258,000 years (effectively unlimited on human timescales).
Phase 2 – Surplus Power to Synthetic Fuels
• Uses excess electricity and waste heat to produce synthetic diesel, jet fuel, and naphtha for export.
• Initial target: 50,000–100,000 barrels/day equivalent.
• Additional capital: $2–5 billion.
• Adds ~$1–3 billion/year in revenue.
Brine Mineral Recovery (Primary Revenue Engine)
State-owned processing of desalination brine concentrate (~327 million m³/year at 2 GWe scale) yields:
• Lithium: 9,150 tons/year ($183 million at $20,000/ton LCE equivalent)
• Magnesium: 91,490 tons/year ($183 million at $2,000/ton)
• Rubidium: 457 tons/year ($457 million at $1,000,000/ton high-purity demand)
• Cesium: ~92 tons/year (high-value, market-limited, ~$4.6 billion potential at $50,000,000/ton)
• Potassium: 18,300 tons/year ($5.5 million at $300/ton)
• Boron: 4,575 tons/year ($3.7 million at $800/ton)
• Other trace elements: additional ~$10–20 million/year
Estimated total annual value: $5–6 billion (conservative mid-range; cesium/rubidium are the high-end drivers). These revenues are processed via state-owned direct lithium extraction (DLE), selective precipitation, and other facilities co-located at clusters. Brine residues are reinjected or used for dust control/mineral by-products. At statewide scale (5–10 GWe), this stream multiplies proportionally.
Statewide Scaling Trend
The CD2 project is the starting point. We then expand to every basin in Nevada that has valuable brackish groundwater (high TDS for rich brine minerals) and demand centers. Nevada has 255 hydrographic basins with substantial brackish volumes. We prioritize locations that maximize revenue while protecting ecosystems through recharge.
• Years 1–3: Statewide planning and surveys.
• Years 4–6: Pilot clusters in CD2 (0.4 GWe).
• Years 7–10: Complete CD2 at 2 GWe.
• Years 11–15: Expand into southern Nevada (Las Vegas Valley, Clayton Valley, other southern basins) → total 5 GWe.
• Years 16–20: Infill central and southern rural basins (Fish Lake Valley, Big Smoky, others) → total 10 GWe.
At 5 GWe statewide:
• Desalinated water: ~2.45 billion m³/year
• Brine minerals revenue: ~$13.75 billion/year
• Total net revenue: ~$20.5 billion/year
• UBI: $500/month per person ($20.4 billion/year total)
• Water supply duration: ~503,000 years (with 1 billion acre-feet reserves)
At 10 GWe statewide (maximum realistic build-out):
• Desalinated water: ~4.9 billion m³/year
• Brine minerals revenue: ~$27.5 billion/year
• Total net revenue: ~$41 billion/year
• UBI: $1,000/month per person ($40.8 billion/year total)
• Water supply duration: ~251,000 years (with 1 billion acre-feet reserves)
Universal Basic Income (UBI) Component
The UBI is funded entirely from the public revenue stream generated by the MSR system (brine minerals, power/water savings, synthetic fuel exports). No new taxes are required. It is universal (every Nevada resident receives it, no means test), paid monthly via direct deposit or debit card, and scales with system capacity.
• 2 GWe (CD2 only): $200/month per person (~$2,400/year)
• Total cost: ~$8.1 billion/year
• Covers nearly the full revenue stream, providing meaningful relief equivalent to ~$800/month for a family of four.
• 5 GWe (mid-scale statewide): $500/month per person (~$6,000/year)
• Total cost: ~$20.4 billion/year
• Leaves surplus for debt payoff, infrastructure, and NSWF seeding. Provides substantial support for families, seniors, and workers.
• 10 GWe (full build-out): $1,000/month per person (~$12,000/year)
• Total cost: ~$40.8 billion/year
• Enables transformative benefits: eliminates need for many state-level welfare programs, reduces poverty pressure, stimulates local spending, and supports economic mobility. Surplus funds a Nevada Sovereign Wealth Fund for long-term growth and perpetual dividends.
UBI is administered simply and transparently by the public authority overseeing the MSR system. It circulates money locally, boosts small businesses, attracts/retains residents, and reduces economic inequality. All funded by Nevada’s own resources. As the system scales, UBI levels can be adjusted by voter referendum or legislative action to balance direct payments with other public priorities (rate subsidies, education, healthcare).
This turns Nevada’s natural resources (thorium, brackish water, sunshine) into shared wealth for every resident starting in CD2 and expanding statewide. The water reserves are so vast that even at maximum scale the supply is effectively unlimited for thousands of generations.