The brine-laden water produced during oil and gas extraction operations in the U.S. Permian Basin poses an operational constraint. The region generates more than 20 million bpd of produced water, which requires energy-intensive and costly treatment or disposal by deep-well injection. An opportunity to efficiently manage and recover produced water is being advanced in Texas.

Natura Resources, which earned the first federal construction permit for a liquid-fueled molten-salt reactor in 2024, will collaborate with NGL Water Solutions Permian to address this logistical challenge. The project will explore deploying Natura’s 100 MWe reactor design alongside thermal desalination systems developed by NGL to transform briny drilling waste into usable water while powering industrial applications.

The combined system will have potential application for treating produced water from oil and gas operations on an industrial scale and will generate power and clean water for potential beneficial use in data centers, agriculture, and as a new water source for other industries. Natura will provide its MSR-100 commercial-scale reactor design to supply continuous baseload power and high-temperature process heat for thermal desalination operations. The collaboration also will support NGL's development of critical mineral extraction from its produced water.

The liquid-fuel molten-salt system will operate at atmospheric pressure, enhancing safety, reducing waste and enabling the potential use of different fuels, including recycled nuclear fuel.