Natura to utilise historic molten salt in next gen nuclear SMRs

Natura Resources, which develops advanced molten-salt nuclear reactors, is to receive coolant salt used in the historic Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE).

The MSRE operated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1965 to 1969, demonstrating the viability of liquid-fuelled reactor technology. Now, Texas-based Natura has been selected by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to receive the coolant salt used in the MSRE. 

Natura says being able to utilise the coolant salt is a pivotal milestone in the race to deploy next-generation nuclear power. 

Coolant salt, known as FLiBE, contains 99.99% enriched lithium-7 (Li-7) and is essential for Natura's 1MW reactor to achieve criticality, keeping the project on track to become one of the first Gen IV nuclear reactors deployed in the US.

Natura’s reactors

Natura's reactor facility is already constructed, detailed engineering and design is complete, and the procurement process has begun for the MSR-1 reactor deployment.

Natura is building SMRs that use liquid fuel dissolved in a molten salt mixture. According to the company, its design operates at high temperature and atmospheric pressure, enhancing safety while reducing waste. It can use several fuel types, including recycled waste fuel and enables harvesting of rare medical isotopes critical for cancer treatment.

The company says its modular construction lowers capital costs compared with traditional light water reactors, making its 100MW commercial-scale reactor cost competitive with other clean 24/7 baseload power generation, including natural gas.

Natura expects to deploy its first 100MW commercial SMR in 2029.

Natura founder and chief executive Doug Robison said: "We deeply value the Department of Energy's continued support and their confidence in our team as we advance the future of nuclear energy.

"With our reactor facility already complete, this salt allocation ensures we can remain on track to deploy our MSR-1 in 2026 — marking a decisive step in advancing next-generation nuclear to deliver reliable, and scalable power for America's growing energy needs."

More on nuclear:
Why Europe’s energy future may depend on SMR
Developing Europe’s next generation nuclear workforce
IEA sounds alarm on energy security threats in latest global report

Nuclear supply chain

Natura was selected in August 2025 as one of 10 advanced reactor companies under the DOE's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program.

The programme aimed to leverage the DOE’s authority to expedite the research and development of advanced nuclear reactor technologies with the larger goal of reaching criticality for at least three advanced nuclear reactor concepts located outside of the national laboratories by July 4, 2026.  

This is but one of the many ways, under the Trump administration, that the country has been seeking to solidly position itself in the nuclear energy sector.  

Another has been to drive the nuclear supply chain, namely for low-enriched uranium (LEU) and High Assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).

LEU is the basic material to fabricate nuclear fuel, consisting of uranium hexafluoride that is a white-grey, waxy solid at standard temperature and pressure. It is made by enriching naturally occurring uranium to improve its ability to produce energy. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), enrichment increases the concentration of uranium atoms that can split to produce heat. This heat in turn is used to generate electricity.

On the other hand HALEU, which isn’t available at commercial scale as of yet, will also be key for new reactor designs to be smaller, more flexible and less expensive to build, says the DOE.

To support Natura’s efforts, the DOE conditionally committed to supply HALEU for its MSR-1, which the DOE says allows developers to optimise their systems for longer operating cycles, increased efficiencies, and better fuel utilisation. 

Additionally, on the same day as the milestone was announced for Natura, the DOE announced $2.7 billion to expand US capacity for LEU and jumpstart new supply chains and innovations for HALEU.

According to the DOE, developing this new domestic production capacity will ensure an adequate fuel supply is available to maintain operations of the nation’s 94 commercial reactors and builds a strong base to supply future deployments of advanced nuclear reactors. 

Under the $2.7 billion, three companies were selected to provide enrichment services:

• American Centrifuge Operating ($900 million) to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity;
• General Matter ($900 million) to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity;
• Orano Federal Services ($900 million) to expand US domestic LEU enrichment capacity.

Commenting in a release was US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright: “Today’s awards show that this Administration is committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capable of producing the nuclear fuels needed to power the reactors of today and the advanced reactors of tomorrow.”

Nuclear and AI

The US has been doubling down on nuclear power, a strong source of base load energy, as the country looks to meet the increasing demands from AI, a key focus area for the Trump administration. 

Just last month, Trump’s very own social media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), signed a major merger agreement with TAE Technologies to create one of the world’s first publicly traded fusion companies. 

Unlike intermittent generation, dispatchable energy sources such as nuclear fusion is designed to provide continuous electricity, a characteristic that aligns closely with the needs of hyperscale data centres and AI training workloads, which require stable power around the clock and face rising scrutiny over their environmental footprint.

Also last month, Google company Alphabet agreed to acquire data centre and energy infrastructure solution provider Intersect for $4.75 billion in cash, in the hopes of enabling more data centre and generation capacity to come online faster in the US.