America’s race to build the next generation of nuclear energy is accelerating at Texas A&M-RELLIS, as the Texas A&M University System recently signed agreements with Terrestrial Energy Inc. to advance the development of its planned small modular reactor.
The ground lease and research agreements grant Terrestrial Energy site control over about 77 acres at Texas A&M-RELLIS and support site characterization, environmental reviews, testing, and research tied to its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) technology.
The work follows a 2025 memorandum of understanding between the A&M System and Terrestrial Energy after the company joined the RELLIS Energy Proving Ground initiative.
“President Trump has made clear that America needs to move faster to develop the next generation of nuclear energy,” said Board Chairman Robert L. Albritton.
“Texas is ready to help lead that work. At the RELLIS campus, the A&M System has the land, research capacity, and workforce mission to help move important energy technologies into the commercial world. This work can strengthen our state, our economy, and our national security.”
The A&M System created the RELLIS Energy Proving Ground to give advanced energy companies access to land for planning demonstrations and commercial operations, research expertise, testing capacity, and workforce partnerships within one of the nation’s largest public university systems.
At A&M-RELLIS, companies can pursue project siting, licensing, testing, and development work needed to move advanced nuclear energy technologies into nationwide commercial use.
The U.S. Department of Energy also selected Terrestrial Energy for its Reactor Pilot Program, a federal effort announced in 2025 following President Trump’s Executive Order 14301 to accelerate the testing of advanced reactor designs outside the national laboratories.
Texas and the nation face growing electricity demand driven by population growth, advanced manufacturing, data centres, artificial intelligence, and other energy-intensive industries.
“The Texas A&M System was built to solve problems that matter to Texas and the nation,” said Chancellor Glenn Hegar.
“Reliable power is one of those problems. At A&M-RELLIS, we are bringing industry, researchers, and public partners together to work on practical energy solutions that can support growth, strengthen the grid, and prepare students for high-demand careers.”
The work also strengthens Bryan’s role as a hub for advanced energy development.
“Energy is the catalyst for everything that drives our state and nation forward,” said Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez. “These critical challenges are courageously studied and tested every day at the RELLIS campus, making our community a world-class destination for advancing new technology. The City of Bryan is honoured to help solve these challenges by supporting investments from companies like Terrestrial Energy.”
Terrestrial Energy is developing a small modular reactor using its Generation IV IMSR technology, which the company says can provide reliable heat and electricity for industrial and power-generation uses.
The agreements at A&M-RELLIS support completion of site characterization work, project development, and testing activities tied to the company’s commercial plans. They also support research and development activities connected to Terrestrial Energy’s Department of Energy partnership projects, known as TETRA and TEFLA.
Terrestrial Energy has opened an engineering and project management office on the RELLIS campus to help coordinate its work with the A&M System and other partners.
The agreements follow another recent milestone at the RELLIS campus. In May, Last Energy announced that the U.S. Department of Energy approved the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for its PWR-5 pilot reactor project at the campus.
The projects are part of the A&M System’s broader effort to make A&M-RELLIS a national hub for advanced energy research, testing, and workforce development.
Texas A&M-RELLIS, located in Bryan, was designed as an applied research and technology campus where universities, state agencies, and private-sector partners can collaborate on complex challenges in energy, national security, transportation, advanced manufacturing, and workforce development.
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