The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted more than 325 participants from national laboratories, universities and industry to the 2025 Molten Salt Reactor Workshop, held Nov. 18–20 in Knoxville.
Operating at low pressure and high efficiency, molten salt reactors (MSRs) are among the leading concepts for next-generation nuclear systems. Now in its 11th year, the ORNL-led workshop has become a key forum for advancing molten salt reactor research and innovation.
“Each year, this workshop brings together the people and ideas at the forefront of innovation,” said Kevin Robb, the workshop’s chair and leader of the Energy Systems Development Group in ORNL’s Fusion and Fission Energy and Science Directorate. “The momentum on display here reaffirm how the molten salt community is swiftly moving from concept to deployment.”
The three-day program included sessions on fuel salt development, advanced manufacturing, and regulatory progress. Breakout discussions focused on off-gas management strategies and updates to the growing Molten Salt Thermal Properties Database — both aimed at improving the performance and safety of future reactors. Participants also attended a poster session and toured ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.
In his keynote address, ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer highlighted national momentum toward expanding nuclear capacity and reaffirmed ORNL’s leadership in molten salt reactor innovation. He also emphasized partnerships with Kairos Power and Atomic Canyon and recognized a collaboration with Pacific Northwest and Argonne National Laboratories using ORNL’s FASTR chloride salt loop.
The workshop was sponsored by companies spanning the molten salt landscape, including Fissionaire, Merrick, Copenhagen Atomics, Millipore Sigma, Molten Salt Solutions, Natura Resources, and NuVision Engineering.
ORNL is committed to supporting U.S. energy needs by pursuing strategic research that advances a wide variety of affordable, abundant and competitive nuclear technologies, and strengthens national security. The lab’s scientific expertise and world-class facilities are often the first step in advancing nuclear energy innovations.
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the DOE’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science. – Liz McCrory
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