NEXT Lab

Natura Resources

Natura Resources LLC selected Abilene Christian University to lead a $30.5 million effort to design, license and build a molten salt research reactor in collaboration with three other major universities. ACU is known throughout higher education for its strong commitment to undergraduate research, especially in STEM fields. This partnership provides extraordinary opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate on cutting-edge research.

Natura Resources LLC selected Abilene Christian University to lead a $30.5 million effort to design, license and build a molten salt research reactor in collaboration with three other major universities. ACU is known throughout higher education for its strong commitment to undergraduate research, especially in STEM fields. This partnership provides extraordinary opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate on cutting-edge research.

Main Content

What is Natura Resources?

Natura Resources, established by third-generation oilman and energy expert Doug Robison, is committed to answering the world’s increased demand for reliable energy, medical isotopes and clean water by developing commercially deployable molten salt reactors. Through sponsored research agreements, Natura has established a first-of-a-kind research alliance with Abilene Christian University, The Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The Natura Resources Research Alliance (NRRA) is on track to change how universities approach licensing research.

Doug Robison looking at camera smiling

The Promise of NEXT Lab

When Doug Robison first became acquainted with the molten salt research led by  Dr. Rusty Towell (’90), he made a $3.2 million donation to NEXT Lab through his nonprofit Excelsior Foundation. Later, he formed Natura Resources LLC and committed to investing an additional $30.5 million in the project, with $21.5 million of that going to ACU and the remainder going to three other universities in a research consortium led by ACU and dubbed NEXTRA (NEXT Research Alliance).

Professor and students looking at molten salt reactor part

Commercial Applications

Reliable Energy: Molten salt reactors can produce the lowest levelized cost of electricity in the U.S. by operating at high temperatures and low pressure.

Medical Isotopes: Molten salt reactors can provide the world’s demand for the most commonly used medical radioisotope (Mo-99) and many other medically useful isotopes.

Clean Water: Molten salt reactors produce high temperature heat to be utilized for water desalination, district heating, oil refining, hydrogen production and more.

Public and Private Universities

Natura Resources LLC has sponsored research agreements with four universities to form the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Research Alliance (NEXTRA), a revolutionary partnership between public and private universities and private industry.

Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab is founded at ACU to perform research into molten salts and their uses in nuclear energy.

Then principal deputy secretary for nuclear energy Edward McGinnis visits the NEXT Lab and encourages the development of a molten salt research reactor.

NEXT visits DOE and presents plan to build Molten Salt Research Reactor (MSRR).

Natura Resources LLC is founded and begins sponsoring research through sponsored research agreements.

NEXT Research Alliance (NEXTRA) recognized by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives for advanced nuclear research.

Construction permit application to be submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Q2.

Molten salt research reactor to go critical on the campus of ACU.