Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

NRC Issues Construction Permit for Molten Salt Reactor at Texas University

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/19/24

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently issued a construction permit to Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas, to build the Natural Resources molten salt reactor, according to a news release. The Natura MSR-1 will become the first NRC-licensed liquid fueled salt reactor in U.S. history and the first U.S. university research reactor that has been approved in more than 30 years.

The molten salt research reactor (MSRR) at ACU will mark the first deployment of the Natura MSR-1, a one-megawatt thermal molten salt reactor system, the news release reports. The permit is only the second one ever granted to construct an advanced nuclear reactor. The Natura Resources Research Alliance, the driving force behind the project, consists of Natura Resources, ACU’s NEXT Lab with Texas A&M University, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“If we're going to meet the growing energy needs, not only in the State of Texas but in our country and the world at large, we must begin deploying advanced nuclear reactors,” said Natura Resources founder and president Douglass Robison. “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.”

The construction permit review process entails an environmental review and a safety evaluation. The environmental review was conducted in March, and the more recently completed safety review found the MSR-1’s design within federal regulations and safe to construct. The next step is to submit an application for an operating license, which ACU and Natura hope to do in the first half of 2025, the news release reports.

“We appreciate the thorough reviews by the NRC staff,” said Ben Beasley, NEXT Lab director of licensing. “This construction permit is the first step in the NRC's two step licensing process. The construction permit allows ACU and Natura to build and operate the MSRR without uranium. The next step is to apply for and receive the operating license, which will authorize ACU and Natura to fuel the reactor and demonstrate the elegance of molten salt technology.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?

  • Dallas ISD Voters Approve $6.2B Bond Package

    Dallas ISD voters have approved a record-setting $6.2-billion bond package that district leaders say will modernize aging campuses, eliminate portable classrooms and reshape learning environments across one of the nation’s largest school systems.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • Universities Continue to Launch Multimillion-Dollar Campus Transformations

    What makes the current wave of campus development especially noteworthy is its emphasis on multi-use functionality and community integration. Institutions are no longer investing solely in academic or athletic facilities in isolation. Instead, they are creating destinations that blend recreation, health, housing, and event-driven economic activity.