Representatives from Natura Resources, the Zachry Group, Abilene Christian University, The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology with the construction permit issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the Natura MSR-1 molten salt reactor project (Credit: Natura Resources)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a construction permit to Abilene Christian University (ACU) to build a liquid salt-fuelled reactor, the Natura MSR-1. The development is the first ever liquid salt-fueled reactor licensed by the NRC. MSR-1 is also the first US university research reactor approved in more than 30 years.

The first deployment of the 1 MWth Natura MSR-1 ACU’s molten salt research reactor (MSRR) will be at ACU’s Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center, the nation’s first advanced reactor demonstration facility outside of a national lab. Natura Resources brought together ACU’s NEXT Lab with Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin and Georgia Institute of Technology to form the Natura Resources Research Alliance to license and deploy the MSRR.

The construction permit approval followed a series of reviews. ACU’s environmental review was completed in March with a finding of “no significant impact.” The recently completed safety review found that the preliminary design of the Natura MSR-1 meets federal regulations and is safe to construct. ACU will now work with Natura to apply for an operating license, while Natura will complete the detailed design of the MSR-1. ACU and Natura hope to submit the operating license application in the first half of 2025.

The research reactor will be Natura’s first deployment and accelerates the development of 100 MWe systems for commercial applications. To that end, Natura is working to develop a small modular MSR system and recently announced a partnership with the Texas Produced Water Consortium to explore the deployment of the molten salt technology to provide dispatchable energy paired with water treatment facilities.

“ACU is thrilled to have Natura as a partner as we work together to answer the world’s increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes, and clean water through the deployment of liquid-fueled molten salt reactors. With the NRC’s issuance of the construction permit, we are one step closer to making that a reality. The performance-driven approach of Natura Resources to advanced reactor deployment has quickly moved them from a relative unknown to a leader in the upstart advanced reactor industry,” said Dr. Phil Schubert, ACU president.

Douglass Robison, Natura Resources founder and president, added: “The Natura MSR-1 deployment at ACU will not only demonstrate successful licensure of a liquid-fueled molten salt reactor but will provide operational data that will allow us to safely and efficiently design and deploy our commercial systems.”