Natura Resources has received FLiBE salt from the U.S. Department of Energy for its Molten Salt Demonstration Reactor, MSR-1. The material will be used in the reactor being built at Abilene Christian University in Texas and connects the project with earlier U.S. molten salt reactor research.
The delivery gives Natura access to a specialized material needed for its reactor development. The company plans to use MSR-1 to collect operating data that can support the development of future commercial molten salt reactors.
Natura Resources received the FLiBE salt on September 18, 2026. The material was supplied by the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory through Idaho National Laboratory.
The salt will be used as the coolant in Natura’s MSR-1 demonstration reactor. The project is being developed at Abilene Christian University and is intended to demonstrate the company’s molten salt reactor technology.
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The reactor technology is being developed by Natura Resources, a U.S. advanced nuclear company focused on small modular reactors. Its reactors use liquid fuel and molten salt cooling instead of the water-based cooling used in many conventional nuclear reactors.
The FLiBE salt supplied to Natura comes from the U.S. Department of Energy’s research system. Natura was selected to receive the material through a competitive DOE process facilitated by Idaho National Laboratory in 2025.
Advanced nuclear developers need specialized materials that can operate under reactor conditions while supporting safe and reliable operation. Securing these materials can also be an important part of building a dependable supply chain.
Natura says receiving the FLiBE salt reduces supply-chain uncertainty for MSR-1. The company can now use the material as it moves forward with development and testing of its demonstration reactor.
FLiBE is a molten salt mixture used as a reactor coolant. Unlike water-cooled systems, molten salt reactors operate with liquid salt at high temperatures and relatively low pressure.
The salt supplied to Natura contains 99.99% enriched lithium-7. According to the company, using lithium-7 helps minimize the formation of tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen, in the salt.
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Natura plans to use MSR-1 to generate data for future commercial reactor designs. The company says its small modular reactors are intended to provide steady power for industrial sites, communities and critical infrastructure.
The company also sees potential applications beyond electricity. Its stated goals include supporting clean water production and the supply of medical isotopes.
The technology has historical links to the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, or MSRE, which operated at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 1965 to 1969. The MSRE operated for more than 13,000 hours and demonstrated molten salt reactor concepts including high-temperature operation and fuel flexibility.
MSR-1 is still a demonstration project, so the latest salt delivery does not represent commercial operation of Natura’s reactor technology. Further construction, testing and regulatory work will be needed before the technology can be deployed commercially.
The performance of the demonstration reactor will also need to be evaluated through actual operating data before its results can be applied to larger commercial systems.
The delivery connects a new molten salt reactor project with decades of U.S. nuclear research. It also gives Natura one of the specialized materials needed for its MSR-1 demonstration reactor.
If testing provides useful operating data, those results could support the design and development of future liquid-fueled molten salt reactors. Natura says its longer-term goal is to use the technology for reliable energy, clean water and medical isotope production.
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