Deep Isolation launches borehole disposal demonstration program

Nuclear waste technology company Deep Isolation Nuclear has launched a multiyear demonstration program of its deep borehole technology for disposing of nuclear waste. The full-scale, at-depth deep borehole demonstration program is being done in collaboration with Halliburton, Amentum, NAC International, and Occlusion Nuclear Solutions, along with the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center (DBDC).

According to Deep Isolation, the demonstration program is aimed at building stakeholder and regulatory confidence in the company's deep borehole disposal technology. While radioactive material will not be used, the program will provide crucial data and operational experience to further the commercialization strategy for Deep Isolation's disposal technology, the company said.

The demonstration program will also allow Deep Isolation to demonstrate the universal canister system (UCS) the company developed with partners University of California-Berkeley, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and NAC International. The UCS is engineered to contain various types of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from legacy and advanced reactors for long-term storage, transportation, and disposal. In December, the UCS team completed a three-year project to manufacture, physically test, and validate the system as part of the Department of Energy's Project UPWARDS.

The center: Deep Isolation formed the DBDC in 2023 as a nonprofit organization open to participation from governments, utilities, nuclear operators, and research organizations interested in studying the borehole disposal concept, including characterization, construction, canister handling, emplacement, and retrieval.

A groundbreaking event officially launching the new demonstration program was hosted by Deep Isolation, in collaboration with Halliburton and the DBDC, on January 28 at the DBDC facility, located at the Halliburton Drilling Technology Facility near Cameron, Texas.

According to Deep Isolation, the event brought together project partners and key stakeholders from across the nuclear industry, the DOE, and officials from the state of Texas, Milam County, and city of Cameron.

The technology: Deep Isolation's disposal method uses off-the-shelf directional drilling technology developed and commercialized by the oil and gas industries to isolate spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in deep boreholes in suitable rock formations.

According to the company, directional borehole disposal could provide robust and deep isolation for many types of radioactive waste, provide flexibility in repository siting, as well as allow for modular implementation adaptable to specific waste management programs and inventories.

Quote: Rod Baltzer, Deep Isolation's president and CEO, said, "The groundbreaking marks the start of a historic program that will allow us to advance on the path to the commercialization of our deep borehole disposal technology and universal canister system. We are thrilled to have brought together this extensive collaboration of leading organizations in nuclear technology, drilling services, and waste management to address one of the nuclear industry's most pressing challenges: developing a safe and permanent solution for nuclear waste disposal."