Texas-based Natura Resources announced that the company intends to enter into a strategic lease agreement for the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL), in Emery County, Utah to advance development of its molten salt reactor (MSR). USREL is equipped with specialised facilities capable of measuring the scientific properties and characteristics of molten salts. This is key data required for regulatory qualification and reactor licensing. The lab also supports research into medical isotope production, a complementary area of innovation that leverages the properties of Natura’s liquid-fuel salt reactor design.
The Natura MSR-1 design is being developed at Abilene Christian University (ACU) as the university’s molten salt research reactor (MSRR). It is the first liquid-fuelled reactor design to receive a construction permit from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). MSR-1 is a 1 MWt, graphite-moderated, fluoride salt flowing fluid (fuel dissolved in the salt) research reactor. The MSRR will be used for on-campus nuclear research and training in advanced nuclear technologies.
Natura is also partnering with Texas A&M University to deploy the MSR-100 design – a 100 MWe system for commercial applications. This initiative is part of the Energy Proving Ground, which involves multiple nuclear reactor companies. The MSR-100 design uses a liquid fuel composed of fissile uranium material dissolved in a molten salt mixture. Natura says this enhances safety, efficiency and produces less long-lived radioactive waste. The reactor is designed to operate at temperatures exceeding 600°C, which improves thermal efficiency and electricity generation. It also operates at lower pressures and includes passive safety mechanisms. The high-temperature heat generated by the MSR-100 can be used for industrial applications including desalination.
The agreement with USREL supports the precision testing that advances development to a critical, commercial-stage reactor, according to Doug Robison, Natura Resources Founder and CEO. “USREL provides the national lab-grade environment and instrumentation required to generate data with the qualifications necessary for regulatory approval, bringing the promise of Natura’s molten salt technology one step closer to commercial operations,” he said.
The lab will play a central role in fuel salt qualification, measuring critical properties such as density, viscosity, and thermal conductivity under nuclear-quality assurance standards (NQA-1). This data supports the safety and performance modelling necessary for operating the MSR-1 reactor, which is currently under construction at the Science & Engineering Research Centre (SERC) in Abilene.
Natura is also exploring future use of USREL as a hub for fuel synthesis, the process of converting uranium metal to uranium fluoride, as well as salt recycling to support closed-loop fuel operations. “USREL is an enabling asset for the next phase of our mission,” said Natura Resources Chief Operating Officer Jordan Robison. “It brings together the research capabilities, infrastructure, industrial partnerships, and regulatory quality needed to transition molten salt technology from the lab to the grid and beyond.”
Natura, which is privately owned, has secured more than $120m in private funding and a commitment of $120m from the State of Texas. It was one of 10 companies named by the Department of Energy (DOE) in August for its Reactor Pilot Program, which maps out how DOE plans to meet the goal announced in May by Executive Order 14301 of having three reactors achieve criticality by 4 July 2026. DOE has committed to providing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to ACU, which received a construction permit from the NRC in 2024 to build its first research reactor.
