The first SMR, Small Modular Reactor, in the US is under construction near the Permian Basin, the largest oil field in the US

A whiff of irony is in the air.

A small West Texas town on the east edge of the Permian Basin, Abilene, Texas, has become the epicenter of a groundbreaking development in the United States’ energy landscape by building the nation’s first Small Modular Reactor (SMR). The project, spearheaded by a collaboration between Abilene Christian University and local stakeholder Natura Resources, marks a pivotal moment in the transition to advanced nuclear energy deployment in the US.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued the construction permit to Abilene Christian University on September 16, 2024, to build the SMR on its campus. When the permit was issued, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said:

This is the first research reactor project we’ve approved for construction in decades, and the staff successfully worked with ACU to resolve several technical issues with this novel design,” said Andrea Veil, director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “Going forward, we’ll have inspectors on the ACU campus when construction gets started.

Fox Business recently aired a report on the project's progress, highlighting the significant progress made:

SMRs represent a transformative shift in nuclear power technology. Unlike traditional large-scale nuclear reactors, SMRs are compact, factory-built systems designed to produce between 50 and 300 megawatts of electricity—enough to power tens of thousands of homes. Their modular design allows for faster construction, lower upfront costs, and enhanced safety features, making them an attractive option for regions or industrial applications seeking reliable, clean power.

The Abilene SMR, based on NuScale Power’s VOYGR™ design, will consist of multiple 77-megawatt modules, with the initial phase aiming to deliver a total capacity of 462 megawatts. Approved by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 2020, the VOYGR™ system incorporates passive safety features that eliminate the need for active cooling systems and reduce the risk of accidents. In the unlikely event of a malfunction, the reactor can safely shut down and cool itself without external power or human intervention—a significant advancement over traditional reactors.

The Abilene molten salt research reactor is funded through a combination of private investment, academic partnerships:

• Natura Resources: Natura Resources is the project's primary developer. During its first three investment rounds, it secured over $78 million to support the project and its broader mission to develop commercial molten salt reactors.

• Private Donations: It is interesting to note that the initial funding for the Abilene SMR project came from wealthy West Texas oilmen. Natura’s founder and longtime Texas oilman, Douglas Robison, donated over $30 million to ACU to create the advanced nuclear lab. Fox Business interviewed him in the video above.

• Academic and Research Partnerships: The project is supported by the NEXT Research Alliance, which includes ACU, the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology. This alliance has a $30.5 million research agreement with Natura Resources to license and deploy the reactor, and cover further research, development, and infrastructure costs.

My Take

After years of hype about SMRs reviving nuclear power in the US, it is encouraging to see a project finally being built. NuScale miraculously stayed alive during the ridiculously long process of getting the first SMR projects approved by the NRC. Hopefully, more SMR and other nuclear power projects will be approved under the Trump Administration.

The whiff of irony is that the first SMR in the US is being developed in the backyard of the largest oil and gas field in the US. The irony is understated, however, as the SMR complements rather than directly opposes the region’s energy culture. But if production in the Permian Basin ever starts declining, which has been predicted many times and is still being predicted, the region now has a backup plan—being the SMR capital of the world!

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