Construction permit granted for molten salt research reactor

Tuesday, 17 September 2024

In March 2020, Abilene Christian University (ACU) submitted to the NRC a Letter of Intent to apply for a construction permit for a non-power molten salt reactor. In July 2020, it submitted a Regulatory Engagement Plan related to this project. ACU submitted its construction licence application - including a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report and an Environmental Review - to the NRC in August 2022. The NRC accepted the application for review three months later. ACU submitted updates in November 2023 and July 2024.

ACU's molten salt research reactor (MSRR) will be the first deployment of the Natura MSR-1, 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 opportunities for faculty, staff and students in advanced nuclear technologies. The reactor will significantly expand the university's salt reactor research and development infrastructure, supporting US molten salt reactor design, development, deployment and market penetration.​​

The NRC issued its final environmental assessment for the site on 7 March with a finding of "no significant impact". On 16 September, the NRC completed its final safety evaluation for the reactor design, concluding the Natura MSR-1 meets federal regulations and is safe to construct.

"This is the first research reactor project we've approved for construction in decades, and the staff successfully worked with ACU to resolve several technical issues with this novel design," said Andrea Veil, Director of the NRC's Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. "Going forward, we'll have inspectors on the ACU campus when construction gets started."

Natura Resources LLC said Zachry Nuclear Engineering will complete the detailed engineering and design of its Natura MSR-1 in "the first part of 2025, which will be followed quickly by the submission of the operating licence application to the NRC". 

_{A cutaway of the MSR-1 research reactor (Image: Natura Resources)}

ACU is the lead university in the NEXT Research Alliance, which includes Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin. The alliance has a USD30.5 million research agreement with Natura Resources to license and deploy the MSRR, which will be located at ACU's Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center, the USA's first advanced reactor demonstration facility outside of a national laboratory. Construction of the centre was completed in August last year.

"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," said ACU President Phil Schubert. "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."

The research reactor will be Natura's first deployment and accelerates the development of its 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 Natura's liquid-fueled molten salt technology providing additional sources of reliable, dispatchable energy paired with water treatment facilities.

"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."