Natura Resources, a company that develops advanced molten salt nuclear reactors, just hit a major milestone. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) officially approved its Nuclear Safety Design Agreement.

This safety approval brings the company closer to deploying the nation’s first advanced, liquid-fueled nuclear reactor. Right now, this demonstration reactor is actually being built at Abilene Christian University.

Getting on the Same Page

Think of this agreement as a working roadmap for both Natura and the DOE. It makes sure everyone is completely aligned on how the molten salt reactor is designed, how safety will be tested, and what key safety decisions need to be made. Basically, it sets the stage for the DOE to eventually authorize the construction and operation of the entire facility.

“The NSDA is a critical step in moving from design to deployment,” said Jordan Robison, CEO of Natura Resources. “It reflects years of disciplined engineering and regulatory preparation and positions Natura to advance through DOE’s authorization process while maintaining full alignment with established nuclear safety standards.”

Speeding Up the MSR Deployment

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MSR component
Molten Salt Test Loop that will be an important piece of the MSR-1 deployment; Photo: Natura Resources

One of the major problems that the company wants to solve is the process. In the past, building brand new, first-of-a-kind nuclear projects has faced long delays and slow timelines.

Natura is attempting to fix those lengthy timelines. To support its goals, Natura is securing private capital investment, talking with regulators, and making sure its safety documentation is mature and ready.

This approach means it can move forward on two paths at the same time. While the company works with the DOE on the university demonstration reactor, it is also doing early, pre-application work with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for separate commercial facilities. Interestingly, the DOE’s process mirrors many elements of the standard NRC licensing framework, like developing safety analyses for both construction and operation.

Next up, Natura will keep supplying the DOE with the right technical and safety information. The energy tech company states that it is entering the next phase with strong technical readiness and wants to keep the momentum going so it can finish building the reactor.