Integral Molten Salt Reactor

The integral molten salt reactor (IMSR) is a nuclear power plant design targeted at developing a commercial product for the small modular reactor (SMR) market. It employs molten salt reactor technology which is being developed by the U.S. company Terrestrial Energy.

The IMSR is based closely on the denatured molten salt reactor (DMSR), a reactor design from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In addition, it incorporates some elements found in the small modular advanced high temperature reactor (SmAHTR), a later design from the same laboratory. The IMSR belongs to the DMSR class of molten salt reactors (MSR) and hence is a "burner" reactor that employs a liquid fuel rather than a conventional solid fuel. This liquid contains the nuclear fuel as well as serving as the primary coolant.

In 2016, Terrestrial Energy engaged in a pre-licensing vendor design review for the IMSR with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and successfully completed the first stage in late 2017. The company completed the second stage of the CNSC vendor design review in 2023, the first high-temperature advanced reactor to do so. The company is conducting pre-licensing engagements with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissions about the IMSR.

Terrestrial Energy and The Texas A&M University System announced plans in February 2025 to site an IMSR plant at the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus about 9 miles west of Texas A&M University in College Station. The company claims it will have its first commercial IMSRs licensed and operating in the early 2030s.

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