Natura Resources pushes forward with plans for ACU’s Molten Salt Research Reactor

ABILENE, Texas ( KTAB/KRBC ) – In mid-June, Natura Resources announced that it anticipates the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to finish its safety assessment and issue a permit for the non-power test reactor in September.

Natura Resources is backing the construction of a molten salt research reactor at Abilene Christian University. The reactor, named the Natura MSR-1, is expected to be the first Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved construction permit for a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor. It will also be the second NRC-approved construction permit for an advanced reactor of any kind.

“This deployment at ACU will not only demonstrate successful licensure of a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor but will provide critical operational data that will help us meet the world’s growing energy needs,” said Natura Resources founder and president Doug Robison .

The goals for the Natura MSR-1 are to reduce regulatory uncertainty and collect operational data. While some other developers mine data from the 1950s and 60s to develop their systems, Natura Resources will have real-time data to support commercial reactor development.

Natura was founded in Abilene in 2020 in response to the DOE’s charge to design and deploy a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor. Later that year, the Natura Resources Research Alliance, comprised of Abilene Christian University (ACU), the Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas at Austin, was formed.

As for the next steps in bringing the reactor to Abilene, Natura shared that they are “already pushing forward with the development of our small modular MSR system that will be fabricated on an assembly line and shipped to site via truck or rail.  The regulatory engagement plan for this system has been submitted to the NRC and we will soon begin raising capital to support the next steps of engineering and design for this system.”

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