U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz visited Abilene Christian University’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Laboratory (NEXT Lab) Aug. 20 to learn more about the groundbreaking nuclear research taking place, sponsored by Natura Resources. 

Cruz toured the new Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center where nuclear research is underway and where the future reactor will be housed. He also met with NEXT Lab staff and ACU faculty, administrators and students, along with representatives from Natura Resources, the sponsor of ACU’s work.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently reviewing the construction permit application for the Natura-funded Molten Salt Research Reactor and expected to complete the review in September.

NEXT Lab
The mission of ACU’s NEXT Lab, powered by Natura Resources, is to provide global solutions to the world’s need for energy, water and medical isotopes by advancing the technology of Molten Salt Reactors while educating future leaders in nuclear science and engineering. Students work alongside faculty seeking creative solutions to complex problems, gaining real-world experience and seeing firsthand how innovation and collaboration can impact the world. NEXT Lab provides extraordinary opportunities through ACU’s departments of engineering and physics, chemistry and biochemistry, and others. 

Natura Resources
Natura Resources LLC is a leading advanced reactor developer committed to answering the world’s increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes and clean water by developing commercially deployable molten salt reactors. Natura’s small modular reactors are liquid fueled and molten salt cooled, which increases efficiency and reduces waste. Natura’s first reactor design, Natura MSR-1, is the basis of the first liquid salt-fueled molten salt reactor design ever reviewed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Natura is intensely focused on performance. Founder and president Douglass Robison is a third-generation oilman with a proven track record of revolutionizing the energy industry with innovative technology and results.

— Wendy Kilmer
Aug. 23, 2024