The Texas Legislature allocated $120 million during its spring legislative session to the construction of the NEXT Lab’s molten salt research reactor, which will be called the Natura MSR-1.
The funds were allocated to Texas Tech University, which joins the university’s partnership with Natura Resources and the Texas Produced Water Consortium (TxPWC). Dr. Phil Schubert, president of the university, said the project gained momentum with the state legislators and its partnership with Texas Tech, Natura and TxPWC. Schubert said state Sen. Charles Perry, Rep. Stan Lambert and Rep. Drew Darby provides significant support during the legislative session.
“ACU, along with our partners, is positioned to become a national leader in advanced nuclear training and research, setting a global standard for clean energy and medical advancements,” Schubert said.
The Natura MSR-1 will be constructed within the Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center, which opened in September 2023. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the university a construction permit last year, giving the NEXT Lab approval to build the MSR-1. Schubert said the university has spent the last year working to complete all design and construction document work.
“You think about it as architects kind of put together a house plan, and then you turn that into an actual construction document package,” Schubert said, “which is really kind of what we are doing – moving it from the higher level design to the more specifically construction-oriented design.”
Dr. Rusty Towell, NEXT Lab director and professor of physics, said the university has made significant progress in the past year.
“The operating license is in the review process now, and the plan is to submit it this year,” Towell said. “The detailed design has been finished. We secured $120 million from the state of Texas for the project, and the Department of Energy has selected this project to be part of their pilot reactor project program.”
Success for the MSR-1 could lead to the construction of similar molten salt reactors, which will be used commercially.
According to the press release, the goals of the project are:
Water Security. Reclaiming and purifying produced water supports long-term water sustainability in drought-prone regions.
Clean Energy Innovation. The deployment of molten salt reactor technology in Texas advances a new era of safe, efficient and carbon-free power generation.
Global Health Impact. The reactor’s ability to produce vital medical isotopes helps address critical global shortages, enhancing cancer care and diagnostic medicine worldwide.
Towell said the university wants to provide global solutions and be a blessing to the world.
“Whether it’s the energy you need to raise people out of poverty, or whether it’s medical isotopes to diagnose and treat cancer, we’re trying to meet the needs of the world,” he said.
Schubert said the university does not want to conduct research for research’s sake but to have its research help answer some of the biggest questions humanity faces, such as water security. The MSR-1 will desalinate, or remove salts and other minerals from water, allowing it to be used for human consumption, irrigation or industrial uses.
“Water is actually a very constrained resource, not just here in Texas, but really across the country,” he said. “So figuring out how to desalinate that water in large quantities would be a major benefit to the state of Texas.”
One of the project’s greatest challenges is the lack of available energy on the Texas grid to run operations.
“One of the big questions is, ‘What are we going to do to provide the energy that our economy is going to demand moving forward?’” Schubert said. “I think nuclear is the only answer for that.”
As the university moves through each phase of the project, an important part of the process includes educating the community, especially on the project’s safety, Towell said. He added addressing safety concerns can be a challenge, but he loves the opportunity to do it.
“That’s a key question of the university,” Towell said, “‘Can we do this safely for us and for our students, for our neighbors?’ and the answer is yes. That’s the same question the NRC answered, and the same question investors answered, the same questions the state of Texas wanted answered before they invested $120 million in the project. So all of these people are concerned with safety, and I’m glad people ask the question.”
The university hopes the MSR-1 will begin operation in 2027.
