Latest news with #NaturaResources
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Smaller nuclear reactors spark renewed interest in a once-shunned energy source
ABILENE, Texas - Bolstered by $3.2 million from a former Midland oilman, this West Texas city of 130,000 people is helping the Lone Star State lead a national nuclear energy resurgence. Doug Robison's 2021 donation to Abilene Christian University helped the institution win federal approval to house an advanced small modular nuclear reactor, which might be finished as soon as next year. Small modular reactors are designed to be built in factories and then moved to a site, and require less upfront capital investment than traditional large reactors. The company Robison founded, Natura Resources, is investing another $30.5 million in the project. Only two small modular reactors are in operation, one in China and another in Russia. Natura Resources is one of two companies with federal permits to build one in the U.S. "Nuclear is happening," said Robison, who retired from the oil business and moved to Abilene to launch the company. "It has to happen." Robison's words are being echoed across the country with new state laws that aim to accelerate the spread of projects that embrace advanced nuclear technology - decades after the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl calamities soured many Americans on nuclear power. In the past two years, half the states have taken action to promote nuclear power, from creating nuclear task forces to integrating nuclear into long-term energy plans, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, which advocates for the industry. "I've been tracking legislation for 18 years, and when I first started tracking, there were maybe five or 10 bills that said the word 'nuclear,'" said Christine Csizmadia, who directs state government affairs at the institute. "This legislative session, we're tracking over 300 bills all across the country." The push is bipartisan. In New York, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul recently directed the New York Power Authority to build a zero-emission advanced nuclear power plant somewhere upstate - her state's first new nuclear plant in a generation. In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis in April signed legislation redefining nuclear energy, which doesn't emit a significant amount of planet-warming greenhouse gases, as a "clean energy resource." The law will allow future plants to receive state grants reserved for other carbon-free energy sources. But no state is more gung-ho than Texas, where Republican Gov. Greg Abbott recently signed legislation creating the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and investing $350 million in nuclear expansion. "Texas is the energy capital of the world, and this legislation will position Texas at the forefront of America's nuclear renaissance," Abbott wrote in a statement. In addition to legislative action, the Texas A&M University System has invited four nuclear manufacturers to build small modular reactors at the school's 2,400-acre RELLIS campus in the city of Bryan. In Texas and other fast-growing states, rising electricity demands are fueling the push. Tech companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon that require a tremendous amount of electricity to power vast data centers are teaming with nuclear developers to provide it. Last October, Google signed an agreement with nuclear energy producer Kairos Power to deploy multiple small modular reactors capable of generating a total of up to 500 megawatts by 2035. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announced in December that it is also looking to reach a similar deal. Some of the largest data centers require more than 100 megawatts of power capacity, enough to power around 100,000 U.S. households. Constellation Energy announced last September that it would reopen Three Mile Island, shuttered since 2019, as part of a deal with Microsoft to power the tech giant's AI data centers. One of the two reactors at the plant, which is located south of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, partially melted down in 1979. But the remaining reactor reliably produced electricity for the next four decades. "Folks shouldn't sleep on nuclear," Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said as he welcomed back workers to the plant recently. "They should be aware of the important clean role it plays in our energy portfolio." But opponents say the renewed interest in nuclear energy is misguided. In Colorado, a coalition of two dozen environmental groups, including the state chapter of the Sierra Club, urged Polis to veto the bill. "The idea that nuclear power is a clean energy source could not be further from the truth," the groups wrote in a letter to the governor. "Nuclear power is the only energy resource that generates dangerous waste that will remain radioactive for thousands of years." Some critics say small modular reactors are actually more expensive than traditional reactors, when they are judged per kilowatt of the energy they produce. And one 2022 study, conducted by researchers at Stanford University and the University of British Columbia, concluded that small modular reactors will produce more radioactive waste than traditional reactors. "There's a pretty healthy skepticism about advanced nuclear projects," said Adrian Shelley, who heads the Texas office of Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group. Shelley said many environmental groups "are just deeply concerned about Texas' ability to responsibly manage nuclear storage and especially nuclear waste in the long term." Ramping up The United States currently has 94 nuclear reactors at 54 plants in 28 states. The oldest began operating at Nine Mile Point in New York in 1969; the newest reactors, Vogtle Units 3 and 4 in Burke County, Georgia, began operating in 2023 and 2024. Scott Burnell, a spokesperson for the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that between the mid-1990s and 2005, there were "no applications at all" for new reactors. In 2007, there was a surge of a dozen applications when the federal government began offering tax incentives. But interest in new reactors plunged again when the fracking boom boosted fossil fuels as an economical power source. Over the past several years, activity has ramped up again. "There are a number of factors that we are seeing drive this increased interest," Burnell said. "Probably the biggest one is the growth in data centers." The commission has approved three new nuclear projects in the past three years, including the one at Abilene Christian University. It is reviewing three other applications and is discussing potential projects with a dozen other nuclear developers, Burnell said. Texas currently has two nuclear plants - Comanche Peak near Glen Rose in North Central Texas and the South Texas Project in Matagorda County on the Gulf Coast. The two plants, each of which has two reactors, provide about 10% of the state's electric power, according to the Texas comptroller. The new small modular reactors would face the same safety standards as these plants. The project at Abilene Christian began when Robison's Natura Resources established a research alliance with that school, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas at Austin. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the project in 2024. The reactor will be constructed at a laboratory at a different site, but its home already awaits in a trench at the bottom of a cavernous room at Abilene Christian's Dillard Science and Engineering Research Center. The trench is 25 feet deep, 80 feet long and 15 feet wide, with a radiation shield made of concrete 4 feet thick. When the 40-ton reactor is finished, possibly by the end of next year, it will be transported to its home on a flatbed truck. "The future is uncertain, but we're ahead of the pack and moving at an amazing clip," said Rusty Towell, an Abilene Christian engineering and physics professor who is working on the project. "So I think that there's a great reason for optimism." Towell asserted that the project will produce only "small amounts of low-level waste" and that storing it safely will not be a significant challenge. 'What Henry Ford did for cars' John Sharp, the outgoing chancellor of Texas A&M University, said he invited nuclear companies to build small modular reactors at the school to help meet the country's desperate need for more power. He said it made sense to give developers access to the faculty and students at the university's nuclear engineering department. Sharp said his pitch was simple: "Hey, we got some land. We got it next to some really smart people. Would you like to come and build a plant? "And four folks said, 'You betcha.'" Matt Loszak, the 34-year-old CEO of Austin-based Aalo Atomics, one of the companies that answered Sharp's call, said he had two employees 18 months ago. Now he has more than 50. "We want to do for reactors what Henry Ford did for cars," Loszak said, "which is really make them mass manufacturable and make it economical to deploy around the world." Robison said he's been speaking at town halls in Abilene, a conservative community that is home to Dyess Air Force Base, for about five years. He claims the residents are "overwhelmingly excited" about having the small modular reactors at Abilene Christian, he said. "Texas is an energy state," he said. "We understand energy and what happens when you don't have it." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Nuclear Power Renaissance Underway in West Texas
When you think of innovative advancements in nuclear power technology, places like the Idaho National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology probably come to mind. But today, some very exciting nuclear power development work is being done in West Texas, specifically, at Abilene Christian University (ACU). That's where Natura Resources is working to construct a molten salt–cooled, liquid-fueled reactor (MSR). 'We are in the process of building, most likely, the country's first advanced nuclear reactor,' Doug Robison, founder and CEO of Natura Resources, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. Natura has taken an iterative, milestone-based approach to advanced reactor development and deployment, focused on efficiency and performance. This started in 2020 when the company brought together ACU's NEXT Lab with Texas A&M University; the University of Texas, Austin; and the Georgia Institute of Technology to form the Natura Resources Research Alliance. In only four years, Natura and its partners developed a unique nuclear power system and successfully licensed the design. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a construction permit for deployment of the system at ACU last September. Called the MSR-1, ACU's unit will be a 1-MWth molten salt research reactor (MSRR). It is expected to provide valuable operational data to support Natura's 100-MWe systems. It will also serve as a 'world-class research tool' to train advanced reactor operators and educate students, the company said. The technology is not new. It was actually proven decades ago. 'A molten salt reactor was built at Oak Ridge in the 1960s—the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment or the MSRE—and that reactor functioned for about five years, then was shelved in favor of solid-fuel or light-water reactors [LWRs] that we're all familiar with,' Robison explained. 'That was really a decision made because the customer in the 1960s was the Department of Defense, and Admiral Rickover was building a nuclear Navy, and they needed to enrich uranium to plutonium for warheads, and solid fuel reactors are more suited for those purposes,' Robison added. The coolant is one of the main differences between LWRs and MSRs. As the names imply, an LWR is cooled by water, while an MSR is cooled by molten salt. LWRs require thick pressure vessels and high-pressure piping to safely contain pressurized water, provide radiation shielding, and ensure long-term structural integrity. Today, there are no U.S. manufacturers with the capability to forge a large nuclear reactor vessel, so they must be sourced overseas. Notably, molten salt turns from a solid to a liquid at about 450C, but it doesn't turn to a gas until about 1,400C, which is above the melting point of stainless steel. 'What that means is you can never get to the point to where the salt flashes to a steam, so we operate at very, very high temperatures, which is a big advantage because the high process heat—from an efficiency standpoint and manufacturing standpoint—is incredibly valuable, but we operate at atmospheric pressure, because the salt never transfers into a gas. It goes from a solid to a liquid. And, if you were to have some kind of leak or release, once you drop below 450 degrees C, it immediately freezes back into a solid, so kind of picture candle wax, if you will. So, it's called 'walk-away safe' for that reason. You don't need a containment dome,' explained Robison. These factors significantly reduce the cost of MSR facilities compared to LWR plants. MSR reactor vessels, for example, can be manufactured by Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville, Alabama, and perhaps elsewhere in the U.S. Robison said everything needed to construct an MSR can be made in America, and he expects much of it to be manufactured in Texas. 'Governor Abbott has said, 'We want Texas to capture this industry,' ' noted Robison. 'Houston, Texas refers to itself as the energy capital of the world. So, we've been working with the Greater Houston Partnership and the Houston Energy Transition Initiative [to answer the question] 'How does that manufacturing happen not just in the U.S., but how does it happen in Texas?' ' Liquid fuel also provides an advantage for MSRs versus the LWR's solid-fuel design. '[In] the solid-fueled reactor, you have the fuel inside the fuel rod. And under current technology, when you burn 3% to 5% of the fuel, then at that point, the rod begins to decay. That is your first level of containment, so you have to pull the rod. That now becomes 'spent nuclear fuel' and enters into the waste stream. You still have 95% to 97% of perfectly good fuel inside that fuel rod. And now the problem becomes: 'What do we do with this nuclear waste that's going to be around for 100,000 years?' ' In an MSR, the fuel is dissolved in the salt. 'What that means is we burn practically 100% of the fuel. We do not throw unspent nuclear fuel away, and so our efficiency goes way up. We do not generate the waste that you see with a light-water reactor,' said Robison. 'In fact, molten salt reactors can utilize current stockpiles of spent nuclear fuel that is sitting in storage at different nuclear reactors around the nation, and we can take that fuel, and re-utilize that as fuel for a molten salt reactor.' Natura is not only focused on its ACU project, but it is also moving forward on commercial reactor projects. In February, the company announced the deployment of two advanced nuclear projects, which are also in Texas. These deployments, located in the Permian Basin and at Texas A&M University's RELLIS Campus, represent significant strides in addressing energy and water needs in the state. 'Our first was a deployment of a Natura commercial reactor in the Permian Basin, which is where I spent my career. We're partnering with a Texas produced-water consortium that was created by the legislature in 2021,' said Robison. 'Produced water' is the water brought to the surface during oil and gas extraction processes. It is a byproduct of hydrocarbon production and typically consists of formation water that was originally present in the underground reservoir, along with additional water introduced during extraction operations. It typically has a salinity that is three times that of seawater, but it can be double or triple that in some instances. In any case, it cannot be released on the surface and must currently be reinjected back into the formation, which can create additional problems. One of the things that can be done with the high process heat from an MSR is desalinization. 'So, we're going to be desalinating produced water and providing power—clean power—to the oil and gas industry for their operations in the Permian Basin,' said Robison. Meanwhile, at Texas A&M's RELLIS Campus, which is located about eight miles northwest of the university's main campus in College Station, Texas, a Natura MSR-100 reactor will be deployed. The initiative is part of a broader project known as 'The Energy Proving Ground,' which involves multiple nuclear reactor companies. The project aims to bring commercial-ready small modular reactors (SMRs) to the site, providing a reliable source of clean energy for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Robison believes the Stargate Project, a massive $500 billion initiative aimed at building advanced hyperscale data centers across the U.S. to power next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) models, could also present an opportunity for Natura. 'The very first deployment of Stargate is scheduled to be in Abilene, Texas. We can actually see the data center that's being constructed from the windows of our offices,' he said. 'We may see something happen there just given the proximity of what they're doing and what we're doing,' Robison envisaged. To hear the full interview with Robison, which contains more about the creation of Natura Resources, the selection of MSR technology for its design, its collaboration with ACU, the work done to license the reactor, and much more, listen to The POWER Podcast. Click on the SoundCloud player below to listen in your browser now or use the following links to reach the show page on your favorite podcast platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube YouTube Music Amazon Music iHeart TuneIn SoundCloud The POWER Podcast · 184. Nuclear Power Renaissance Underway in West Texas For more power podcasts, visit The POWER Podcast archives. —Aaron Larson is POWER's executive editor (@AaronL_Power, @POWERmagazine).
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Natura Resources Announces Two Advanced Nuclear Deployments in Texas
ABILENE, Texas, Feb. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Natura Resources (Natura) is proud to announce the deployment of two advanced nuclear projects in Texas, aimed at enhancing energy security and reliability for the rapidly growing state. These deployments, located in the Permian Basin and at Texas A&M University's RELLIS Campus, represent significant strides in addressing Texas' energy and water needs. Permian Basin DeploymentNatura has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Texas Tech University (TTU) and Abilene Christian University (ACU) to advance its molten salt reactor (MSR) technology. This collaboration, which includes the Texas Produced Water Consortium (TxPWC) at Texas Tech, focuses on integrating MSR technology with water desalination systems. The goal is to provide a sustainable solution for water scarcity by purifying produced water from oil and gas operations, making it available for agricultural and other beneficial uses. Doug Robison, Founder and CEO of Natura Resources, emphasized the importance of this partnership: "Our collaboration with Texas Tech and ACU is a pivotal step in addressing Texas' critical water and energy challenges. By leveraging our MSR technology, we aim to secure crucial water resources and drive innovation in clean energy." Texas A&M University RELLIS Campus DeploymentIn a parallel effort, Natura is partnering with Texas A&M University to deploy the Natura MSR-100 reactor at the RELLIS Campus. This initiative is part of a broader project known as "The Energy Proving Ground," which involves multiple nuclear reactor companies. The project aims to bring commercial-ready small modular reactors (SMRs) to the site, providing a reliable source of clean energy for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Doug Robison highlighted the significance of this deployment: "We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Texas A&M University to showcase how our technology can meet the energy needs of Texas and the nation. The Natura MSR-100 at the RELLIS Campus will play a crucial role in advancing our clean energy mission." Technology Overview: Natura MSR-100The Natura MSR-100 is a cutting-edge small modular reactor (SMR) that utilizes molten salt reactor (MSR) technology. Key features of the Natura MSR-100 include: Liquid-Fueled Design: The reactor uses a liquid fuel composed of fissile uranium material dissolved in a molten salt mixture. This design enhances safety and efficiency and produces less long-lived radioactive waste. High-Temperature Operation: The reactor operates at temperatures exceeding 600°C, which improves thermal efficiency and electricity generation. Inherent Safety Features: The MSR-100 operates at lower pressures and includes passive safety mechanisms that reduce the risk of accidents. Desalination Capability: The high-temperature heat generated by the MSR-100 can be used for desalination, providing a sustainable source of clean water. State of Texas EndorsementGovernor Greg Abbott, in his State of the State Address on February 2, 2025, emphasized the importance of nuclear energy for Texas: "It is time for Texas to lead the nuclear power renaissance in the United States." This statement underscores the state's commitment to advancing nuclear technology and positioning Texas as a leader in clean energy innovation. Additionally, the 2024 Interim Report from the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs highlighted Natura as a potential solution to power the state water plan, further validating the significance of these deployments. The Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs, chaired by Senator Charles Perry, stated in the 2024 Interim Report that Natura's advanced nuclear technology offers a promising solution to our state's water and energy challenges. By integrating desalination with energy production, the technology can ensure a sustainable future for Texas. During the press event at Texas A&M in February, Representative Cody Harris stated that advanced nuclear deployments, such as Natura's deployment at the RELLIS, will positively impact not only Texas, but the rest of the World as well. Driving Community and Business Growth in TexasThese advanced nuclear deployments are expected to have a profound impact on local communities. By providing a stable and reliable source of clean energy, these projects will support economic growth and job creation in the regions. The integration of Natura's MSR technology with desalination systems will also address water scarcity, ensuring that local communities have access to purified water for agricultural and other uses. This dual benefit of energy and water security will enhance the quality of life for residents and contribute to the overall sustainability of the regions. The need for reliable and abundant energy is critical for attracting and sustaining business growth in Texas. With the rise of data centers, fabrication, and manufacturing facilities, the demand for electricity is surging. Texas' business-friendly environment, combined with Natura's advanced nuclear technology, positions the state to meet this growing demand. By providing a stable and clean energy source, Natura's deployments will support the expansion of data centers and other energy-intensive industries, driving economic development and solidifying Texas' status as a leader in the 21st-century economy. For more information about Natura Resources and its role in advancing small modular reactor technology, please contact Andrew Harmon or visit About Natura ResourcesNatura 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. The Natura MSR-1 being deployed at Abilene Christian University is the first liquid-fueled reactor design to receive a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In less than five years, Natura has established itself as a leading force in the advanced nuclear industry, fueled by a commitment to performance. Natura's leadership team has a proven track record of revolutionizing the energy industry with innovative technology and tangible results. Natura is privately owned and has secured over $78 million in funding through its first three investment rounds. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Natura Resources Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Companies are coming to Texas to develop a new generation of nuclear reactors
The West Texas city of Abilene is better known for country music and rodeos than advanced nuclear physics. But that's where scientists are entering the final stretch of a race to boot up the next generation of American atomic energy. Amid a flurry of nuclear startups around the country, Abilene-based Natura Resources is one of just two companies with permits from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to construct a so-called 'advanced' reactor. It will build its small, one megawatt molten salt reactor beneath a newly-completed laboratory at Abilene Christian University, in an underground trench 25 feet deep and 80 feet long, covered by a concrete lid and serviced by a 40-ton construction crane. The other company, California-based Kairos Power, is building its 35 megawatt test reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the 80-year capital of American nuclear power science. Both target completion in 2027 and hope to usher in a new chapter of the energy age. 'A company and school no one has heard of has gotten to the forefront of advanced nuclear,' said Rusty Towell, a nuclear physicist at Abilene Christian University and lead developer of Natura's reactor. 'This is going to bless the world.' The U.S. Department of Energy has been working for years to resuscitate the American nuclear sector, advancing the development of new reactors to meet the enormous incoming electrical demands of big new industrial facilities, from data centers and Bitcoin mines to chemical plants and desalination facilities. Leaders in Texas, the nation's largest energy producer and consumer, have declared intentions to court the growing nuclear sector and settle it in state. The project at Abilene Christian University is just one of several early advanced reactor deployments already planned here. Dow Chemical plans to place small reactors made by X-energy at its Seadrift complex on the Gulf Coast. Last month, Natura announced plans to power oilfield infrastructure in the Permian Basin. And in February, Texas A&M University announced that four companies, including Natura and Kairos, would build small, 250 megawatt commercial-scale reactors at a massive new 'proving grounds' near its campus in College Station. 'We need energy in Texas, we need a lot of it and we need it fast,' said state Sen. Charles Perry, chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. 'The companies that are coming here are going to need a different type of energy long term.' During this year's biennial legislative session, state lawmakers are hoping to make billions of dollars of public financing available for new nuclear projects, and to pass other bills in support of the sector. 'If we do what we're asked to do from industry groups out here, if we do what we think we should do and we know we should do, we could actually put a stake in the ground that Texas is the proving ground for these energies,' Perry said, speaking this month in the state Capitol at a nuclear power forum hosted by PowerHouse Texas, a nonprofit that promotes energy innovation. But, he added, 'Texas is going to have to decide: At what level of risk is it prudent for taxpayer dollars to be risked?' The first new reactors might be commercially ready within five years, he said; most are 10 to 20 years away. Dozens of proposed new reactor designs promise improved efficiency and safety over traditional models with less hazardous waste. While existing nuclear reactors use cooling systems filled with water, so-called 'advanced' reactor designs use alternatives like molten salt or metal. It enables them, in theory, to operate at a higher temperature and lower pressure, increasing the energy output while decreasing the risks of leaks or explosions. Before it can be built, each design is extensively reviewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in a yearslong process to ensure they meet safety requirements. 'We understand how much work we're facing and getting that done means finding every appropriate efficiency in our reviews,' said Scott Burnell, public affairs officer for the NRC. The commission is also reviewing a permit application by Washington-based TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates in 2006, to build a full commercial nuclear power plant in Wyoming. It expects to receive a construction permit application for the X-energy reactor at Dow in Texas this year, Burnell said. After construction, the companies will require a separate permit to operate their projects. None have sought an operating license for an advanced nuclear reactor, but Natura plans to file its application this year. For Towell, an Abilene native and the son of two ACU faculty members, this moment was a decade in the making. In 2015 he founded the NEXT Lab at ACU for advanced nuclear testing, got a $3 million donation from a wealthy West Texas oilman in 2017, entered into partnership with the Energy Department in 2019 and formed the company Natura in 2020. Construction finished in 2023 on NEXT's shimmering new facility. And in 2024, the NRC issued a permit to build the first advanced reactor at an American university. Towell, a former instructor at the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School, said these new projects represent the first major advancement in American nuclear power technology in 70 years. While layers and layers of safety systems have been added, the basic reactor design has remained unchanged. It uses a cooling system of circulating water to avoid overheating, melting down and releasing its radioactive contents into the atmosphere. The system operates at extremely high pressure to keep the water in liquid state far above its boiling point. If circulation stops due to power loss or malfunction, a buildup of pressure can cause an explosion, as it did at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan in 2011. In contrast, new 'advanced' reactor designs use alternatives to water for cooling, like liquid metal or special gases. Natura's design, like many others, uses molten salt. It's not table salt but fluoride salt, a corrosive, crystalline substance that melts around 750 degrees Fahrenheit and remains liquid until 2,600 degrees under regular pressure. As a result, the reactor can operate at extremely high temperatures without high pressure. If the system ruptures, it won't jettison a plume of steam, but instead leak a molten sludge that hardens in place. 'It doesn't poof into the air and drift around the world,' Towell said. 'It drips down to a catch pan and freezes to a solid.' Rather than solid fuel rods, Natura's design also uses a liquid uranium fuel that is dissolved into the molten coolant. According to Towell, a former research fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, that decreases the amount of radioactive waste produced by the reactor and makes it easier to recycle. The Kairos reactor design uses molten salt coolant with hundreds of thousands of uranium fuel 'pebbles,' while the X-energy design uses fuel pebbles with a gas coolant. Critically, many new reactor designs are also small and modular. Instead of massive, custom construction projects, they are meant to be built in factories with assembly line efficiency and then shipped out on truck trailers and installed on site. That will allow large industrial facilities or data centers to operate their own power sources independent from public electrical grids. Natura president Doug Robison, a retired oil company executive who worked 13 years as an ExxonMobil landman, said small reactors could run oilfield infrastructure in the Permian Basin, from pumpjacks to compressor stations. 'By powering the oil and gas industry, which uses a tremendous amount of power for their operations, we're helping alleviate the grid pressure,' he said. He also wants to power new treatment plants for the enormous quantities of wastewater produced each day in the Permian Basin. In January, Natura announced a partnership with the state-funded Texas Produced Water Consortium at Texas Tech University aimed at using small reactors to purify oilfield wastewater, most of which is currently pumped underground for disposal. The new reactor projects fit into plans by state leaders to establish Texas as a global leader of advanced nuclear reactor technology. In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the state's Public Utility Commission to study the question and produce a report. 'Texas is well-positioned to lead the country in the development of ANRs,' said the 78-page report, issued late last year. 'Texas can lead by cutting red tape and establishing incentives to accelerate advanced nuclear deployment, overcome regulator hurdles and attract investment.' The report made several recommendations, and state lawmakers this year have already filed bills to enact several of them, including the creation of a Texas Advanced Nuclear Authority and a nuclear permitting officer. Most significantly, the report also recommended two new public funds to support nuclear energy deployment, including one modeled after the Texas Energy Fund, which was created in 2023 and made $5 billion in financing available for new gas power plants. 'When I talk to folks, it always gets back to the funding,' said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission, during the PowerHouse forum. 'All of those issues are somewhat ancillary to: How are we going to fund this?' Gleeson said developers will expect the state to put up at least $100 million per project through public-private partnerships in order to help reduce financial risk. 'Given the load growth in this state that we're projecting, if you want clean air and you want a reliable grid, you have to be in favor of nuclear,' he said. Critics of the plan oppose the use of public money on private projects and worry about safety. 'We don't use tax dollars to fund a bunch of experimental and pie-in-the-sky designs that should be the responsibility of private industry,' said John Umphress, a retired Austin Energy program specialist who is evaluating the nuclear efforts on contract for the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. 'Nobody has really penciled out the cost because there's still a lot of proof of concept that's going to have to be pursued before these things get built.' Umphress raised concerns over materials in development to withstand the astronomical temperatures and extremely corrosive qualities of molten salt coolants. He also noted that the U.S. still lacks a permanent repository for nuclear waste following decades of unsuccessful efforts. Most waste today is stored on site in specialized interim facilities at nuclear power plants, which wouldn't be possible if small reactors were deployed to individual industrial projects. 'That's the big issue that we still haven't solved, but it's not stopping some of these developers from pushing forward with their designs,' he said. 'They're hoping the federal government will take ownership of the waste and be responsible for its storage and disposal.' During the PowerHouse forum, officials expressed hope that the private sector would develop a solution after new reactor projects create demand for waste disposal. Those reactor projects are still many years away. So far, the NRC has only authorized advanced reactor construction for university research. Next it will issue permits for larger commercial reactors before they can be deployed. Perhaps the largest early deployment of commercial advanced reactors is set to take place at Texas A&M University. In February, the school announced that four companies had committed to install their commercial reactor designs at a new 2,400-acre 'Energy Proving Ground' near its College Station campus. The site is an old Army air base, currently home to vehicle crash test facilities and an advanced warfare development complex. The university will build infrastructure there and help streamline permitting for the reactor projects, said Joe Elabd, vice chancellor for research at the Texas A&M System. The university is requesting $200 million in state appropriations to help develop the site, he said. 'We're providing a little bit more of a plug-and-play site for these companies, as opposed to them going to a true greenfield and having to do everything for themselves,' he said. Reactors on the site will be connected to Texas' electrical girdle, Elabd said. A&M began seeking proposals from companies to build at the site last August, and a panel of university experts selected the four finalists, which include Natura and Kairos. A Kairos spokesperson, Christopher Ortiz, said the company is building a manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which will produce the reactors deployed to Texas A&M. He said the company is currently working to identify sites for future commercial reactors, evaluating factors like workforce availability, existing infrastructure and community support. 'The Texas A&M site presents a unique opportunity to site multiple commercial power plants in one location, which makes it particularly attractive,' he said. The site will also include Terrestrial Energy, a Canadian company. And it will include Aalo Atomics, a 2-year-old investor-funded startup that is currently building a 40,000-square-foot reactor factory in Austin, which it plans to unveil in April. More than modular reactors, Aalo plans to produce entire modular power plants, called Aalo Pods, including several reactors, a turbine and a generator, which are designed to be installed at data centers. 'It's made in the factory, shipped to the site and assembled like LEGOs,' said Aalo CEO Matt Loszak. He estimated five to 10 years for deployment at the A&M site but said that depended on continued financial support from investors. Aalo is developing its reactor design at the Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, a 70-year-old national nuclear research center. But Loszak, a former software engineer from Canada, decided to locate his factory in Texas, he said, to be close to massive incoming energy demands and to take advantage of the state's business-friendly approach to regulation. 'Politicians here are really pro-nuclear, they want to see nuclear get built, and that's not the case in other places across the country,' he said. 'From a regulatory and permitting perspective, it's a great place to build stuff.' Disclosure: Dow Chemical, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A&M announces groundbreaking nuclear power partnership
BRYAN, Texas (FOX 44) — The Texas A&M University System revealed a historic partnership on Tuesday that university leaders say will reshape the future of energy in the state. Chancellor John Sharp introduced the initiative at a press conference, calling it 'Ground Zero for the nuclear renaissance' and a key step in bringing nuclear power to Texas. The partnership will focus on deploying small modular reactors and molten salt reactors, technologies designed to address some of the state's most pressing challenges. The dais consisted of (from left to right): The Texas A&M University System Chancellor Hon. John Sharp, State Representative Greg Bonnen, M.D., State Representative Cody Harris, Reed Clay, President of Texas Nuclear Alliance, Mike Laufer, CEO of Kairos Power, Douglas Robinson, Founder and CEO of Natura Resources, Smith Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy, and Matt Loszak, Co-founder and CEO Aolo Atomics. Doug Robinson, Founder and CEO of Natura Resources, emphasized that these cutting-edge nuclear solutions could help meet Texas's growing power and water needs. 'What the public can expect is to start seeing how small modular reactors and molten salt reactors, which is what we're deploying, that can help meet our state's needs of power and water,' Robinson said. Chancellor Sharp, citing Texas A&M's position as home to the world's largest nuclear engineering department, stressed the university's critical role in training future generations of engineers and technicians to operate and maintain this new technology. 'It's our kids and our professors that are going to be trainers and trainees in making sure that the infrastructure is there to operate these things once they start getting built,' Sharp said. Local State Representative Cody Harris also spoke at the event, highlighting the need for Texas lawmakers to remain open to new energy solutions to support the state's booming population. 'We're going to make sure that Texas continues to be the economic powerhouse that it is in the United States, where the largest economy in the world,' Harris said. 'we've got 1300 people that are moving here. They're not bringing power and they're not bringing water. And so as legislators, we need to be forward-thinking enough and innovative enough to recognize new opportunities that are out there.' Attendees were enthusiastic about the future of energy in Texas. Brad Brown, with the Vice Chancellor's Office, praised the university's vision of technological growth, noting that nuclear energy would be essential for powering the next wave of innovation. 'I've seen the vision of the chancellor as it's progressed from a sort of sleepy research campus to really a high tech looking around for a lot of technology,' Brown said. 'And nuclear is really the next thing because it's the driving force. I mean, the electricity and the power requirements are going to really support a lot of the other work that we're doing out here.' Panelists at the press conference were unified in their belief that Texas's leadership in nuclear energy would play a crucial role in shaping the future of energy not only in the U.S., but around the world. The Texas A&M University System's partnership marks a pivotal moment in the state's energy landscape, positioning it at the forefront of the next energy revolution. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
