Natura Resources has acquired Shepherd Power from NOV and signed an agreement with NOV to accelerate commercialization of Natura’s molten salt reactor (MSR) technology. The announcement states that Natura will align its molten salt reactor design with NOV’s manufacturing, supply chain, and project management capabilities to deliver multiple gigawatts of small modular reactors (SMRs) targeting data center and industrial power markets between 2029 and 2032.
According to Natura, the acquisition of Shepherd Power enhances its ability to handle full-scale reactor deployment, including regulatory and licensing expertise. This will strengthen Natura’s position to offer full-service power solutions—site, build, own, and operate—for customers, with an explicit emphasis on serving high-demand sectors like data centers.
As part of this agreement, NOV will become an investor in Natura and will appoint a representative to its Board of Directors.
Natura’s SMR design features liquid fuel dissolved in molten salt and operates at high temperature and atmospheric pressure. The company says this configuration improves safety, reduces waste, and enables the use of various fuel types—including recycled waste fuel. Natura additionally reports that its reactors facilitate the production of medical isotopes used in cancer treatment.
The company’s modular construction method is claimed to lower capital costs relative to traditional reactor builds, positioning its 100-megawatt reactors as cost-competitive options for 24/7 baseload data center and industrial power. Natura also identifies applications in produced water desalination for regions such as the Permian Basin.
The US Department of Energy timeline for advanced reactor deployments estimates that Natura’s MSR-1 will be the first Generation IV reactor installed in the US. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit in September 2024 for a one-megawatt demonstration reactor at Abilene Christian University, which Natura expects to deploy in 2026. Natura plans to file two commercial applications with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before the end of 2025: one for medical isotope production and one for grid-scale electricity supply, with the first 100-megawatt commercial reactor deployment anticipated in 2029.
Doug Robison, Founder and CEO of Natura Resources, stated, “This strategic transaction will accelerate commercialization of our MSR technology and enhance our ability to offer comprehensive power solutions to customers,” and, “Shepherd Power is a leading voice in the advanced nuclear regulatory space, having significantly contributed to commercial licensing clarity with federal and state regulators, and has expertise in the requirements to site, build, own, and operate reactors. Combined with NOV’s expertise in scaling highly engineered equipment to drive down delivery costs, this transaction positions us to lead in delivering gigawatts of safe, advanced nuclear reactors within the next 5 years to support critical power needs and fuel American AI leadership.”
Jose Bayardo, President and Chief Operating Officer of NOV, commented, “The power market is one of the most significant industrial growth opportunities of the next decade,” and, “Our collaboration with Natura allows NOV to bring its unmatched manufacturing and project management capabilities into an adjacent sector that demands the same rigor, scale, and reliability we have delivered to energy customers for more than a century. We believe that Natura’s technology will be one of the first advanced reactors commercially available in the United States. Natura’s MSR design incorporates critical safety features and leverages the existing uranium supply chain, enabling the ability to scale manufacturing of reactors that can economically produce heat and power.”
Source: Natura Resources
