ABILENE — Natura Resources, a nuclear startup based in Abilene, did not achieve criticality on its MSR-1 reactor by July 4, 2026. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the construction permit for the reactor in 2024.

Doug Robison, a third-generation Texas oilman who founded the company, donated $3.2 million for research at Abilene Christian University. The university volunteered to host a test reactor and collaborates with Natura Resources through an alliance that includes more than 150 researchers from Abilene Christian University, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2019, the Department of Energy offered fuel and salt to support the project.

Natura Resources joined the Trump administration's Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, which initially involved 10 companies. The company purchased Shepherd Power, an advanced nuclear development company, from NOV. Zachry Nuclear will lead on-site design and construction for the project, while Teledyne Brown Engineering in Alabama is planned to build commercial reactors.

Robison explained that molten salt reactors dissolve nuclear fuel directly into a liquid salt mixture, where the salt acts as both the coolant and fuel carrier. "Our reactor is sitting in the middle of Abilene right across the street from a dormitory," Robison said. "The reason we can do that is because we don't operate under pressure." He added, "We never lose containment." The company's test reactor system has surpassed 2,000 hours of operation, with more than 1,750 hours of autonomous operation.

Natura Resources plans to bring the MSR-1 reactor online in Abilene in 2028. The company also plans to construct a 100-megawatt commercial reactor by 2032 in West Texas' Permian Basin or near Texas A&M in Bryan. Jordan Robison, Chief Operating Officer for Natura Resources, said, "What we're trying to prove more than anything is showing that we can actually build a reactor system." He added, "There is a difference between a criticality test and building a full reactor system."