Abilene, Texas – September 20, 2026 -- Natura Resources LLC has taken delivery of FLiBE salt from the U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, transferred via Idaho National Laboratory, securing a critical input for its Molten Salt Demonstration Reactor, the MSR-1, under construction at Abilene Christian University.
The shipment arrived Friday, Sept. 18, closing a supply-chain gap for one of the most specialized materials required in molten salt reactor operation.
DOE selects Natura through competitive 2025 solicitation
Natura won the salt allocation through a competitive DOE process facilitated by Idaho National Laboratory and issued in August 2025. The material contains 99.99% enriched lithium-7, a purity level that minimizes tritium generation during reactor operation.
Salt links 1960s reactor experiment to commercial deployment
The FLiBE salt traces back to the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), which ran from 1965 to 1969 and logged more than 13,000 operating hours demonstrating passive safety, high-temperature performance, and fuel flexibility. That same salt cooled the MSRE and now underpins the design basis for Natura's MSR-1.
"Receiving this salt from the DOE is a handoff between generations of American innovation," said Jordan Robison, CEO of Natura Resources. "The MSRE showed what molten salt technology could achieve. We're carrying that legacy forward and turning it into a commercial reality that will deliver reliable energy, clean water, and medical isotopes to the world."
Company holds first NRC construction permit for a liquid-fueled reactor
Natura has secured more than $120 million in private funding alongside a $120 million commitment from the State of Texas. The MSR-1 will generate operational data intended to support Natura's planned commercial reactor fleet, which is designed to run on liquid fuel under low-pressure conditions for industrial sites and critical infrastructure.