Natura executes an OTA with the DOE

Progress in the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program continues as Natura Resources has executed an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the DOE for the company's Molten Salt Research Reactor being pursued in close collaboration with Abilene Christian University (ACU) in Texas. Reactor projects participating in the program would progress through DOE authorization and oversight rather than Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing.

Some background: The reactor is referred to as the MSR-1 by Natura and as the MSRR by both ACU and the NRC. The initial deployment of the 1-MWt liquid-fueled molten fluoride reactor is planned for ACU's Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory (NEXT Lab).

In 2020, oilman Doug Robison formed Natura Resources and invested $30.5 million in a plan to develop the MSRR at ACU. Beyond this first deployment, Natura hopes to leverage the lessons learned with the MSRR for a broader buildout of commercial power units.

In March 2020, ACU submitted a letter of intent to the NRC to build and operate the reactor. In August 2022, the university submitted a construction permit application. In September 2024, ACU received that construction permit and, in August 2025, the DOE allocated HALEU to ACU and Natura for use in the MSRR.

Changing paths: Other companies selected for the Reactor Pilot Program, like Aalo Atomics, Oklo, Valar Atomics, and more, made it immediately clear that they intended to collaborate with the DOE and participate in the program. Given ACU's significant progress in the NRC licensing process, it was-until now-unclear to the public whether the university intended to take the DOE up on its offer.

When asked for comment on this newest development, Rusty Towell, director of the NEXT Lab and professor of engineering and physics at ACU, told Nuclear Newswire, "While we have efficiently navigated licensure from NRC, we are confident that switching to DOE authorization will not slow this project down."

More broadly, Towell added, "Since DOE selected this project earlier this year for their Reactor Pilot Program, progress has been made in securing fuel and the fuel-bearing salt. Both are critical to allowing this project to move forward, and we are thankful for DOE's assistance."

Looking ahead: The Reactor Pilot Program originally set a goal of three reactors reaching criticality by July 4, 2026-though Energy Secretary Chris Wright slightly walked that goal back at the 2025 ANS Winter Conference & Expo: the DOE is now aiming for one or two reactors to hit that deadline. In August 2025, Towell predicted to Nuclear News that the MSRR would be under construction in a year and operational within five years. While it's unclear how much DOE fast-tracking will speed the project's timetable up, Robison said, "The facility is already complete, and this OTA allows us to move quickly with DOE toward authorized operation of our MSR-1 system."