Natura Resources LLC announced November 19, 2025, that it intends to enter a strategic lease agreement for the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL) in Emery County, Utah. The lab will support regulatory qualification of the liquid fuel salt used in Natura’s MSR-1 reactor, which is currently under construction at the Science and Engineering Research Center in Abilene, Texas. MSR-1 is the first liquid-fueled reactor design to receive a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
What it means
USREL’s facilities measure properties of molten salts — including density, viscosity, and thermal conductivity — that are required for regulatory qualification and reactor licensing under nuclear-quality assurance standards (NQA-1). That data feeds directly into safety and performance modeling for the MSR-1. Natura’s reactor uses liquid rather than solid fuel, which the company said enables inherent safety advantages, simplified fuel recycling, and potential for large-scale medical isotope production. USREL will also support research into medical isotope production. Founder and CEO Doug Robison said the agreement “supports the precision testing that gets us closer to a critical, commercial-stage reactor.”
Natura is also exploring future use of USREL as a hub for fuel synthesis — converting uranium metal to uranium fluoride — and for salt recycling to support closed-loop fuel operations. The company said the lease supports development of what it describes as the first commercial-scale, liquid-fueled molten salt reactor in the nation. Natura said it secured $120 million in private funding and received a $120 million commitment from the State of Texas.
Key facts
- Facility leased: Utah San Rafael Energy Lab (USREL), Emery County, Utah
- Reactor under construction: MSR-1, Science and Engineering Research Center, Abilene, Texas
- Regulatory standard: NQA-1 nuclear-quality assurance standards for fuel salt qualification
- Properties measured: density, viscosity, thermal conductivity of molten salts
- Private funding secured: $120 million (according to the company)
- State of Texas commitment: $120 million (according to the company)
- MSR-1 is the first liquid-fueled reactor design to receive a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Natura Resources LLC is privately owned
Source: Natura Resources LLC news release (PR Newswire)