BERKELEY — Deep Isolation announced today that it is part of a team that has been selected to receive $4.9 million in funding as part of the U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E CURIE program to develop and demonstrate oxide reduction (OR) technology for pyrochemical recycling of light water reactor used nuclear fuel (UNF).

The team, led by Argonne National Laboratory, also includes advanced reactor developer Oklo Inc., and Case Western Reserve University. CURIE, short for Converting UNF Radioisotopes Into Energy, funds innovations in reprocessing technologies that aim to extract and recycle valuable actinides from used nuclear fuel that can then be used to power the next generation of nuclear reactors.

Deep Isolation will develop an integrated waste disposal plan using its cost-effective deep borehole repository technology for oxide reduction waste, while simultaneously determining ideal waste acceptance parameters through economic modeling to achieve program target metrics for reduced disposal costs as there will still be some volume of waste at the end of the OR process.

“Performing the technical and economic analyses of the waste streams alongside the OR process development is important as it will ensure that a disposal pathway for the remaining waste exists before the technology is fully commercialized,” said Deep Isolation Head of Engineering and Project Lead Jesse Sloane. “These combined efforts will increase the technical readiness level of the recycling process and help make the case for the economics of spent fuel reprocessing by considering complete operational costs from the raw fuel material through disposal.”

The project also includes a study to optimize the procurement of spent nuclear fuel for recycling into an advanced reactor.

Also today: Deep Isolation is part of another selected CURIE project: It is participating in a $2.8 million project led by EPRI that will develop an advanced reactor fuel cycle enterprise.

These selections bring the number of Deep Isolation federal projects this year to four. The company received a $3.6 million grant to develop a universal nuclear waste disposal canister for advanced reactor waste streams and received part of a $4 million grant to Oklo and other partners to study borehole disposal options for the first nuclear fuel recycling and disposal facility in the United States.

Collectively, these projects will help expand applications of Deep Isolation’s technologies across a wider range of current and future fuel cycle options.

About Deep Isolation

Deep Isolation is a leading global innovator in nuclear waste storage and disposal solutions. Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship and scientific ingenuity, the company’s patented solution of advanced nuclear technologies enables global delivery through its partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options.

London — Deep Isolation announced today it will team up with Fermi Energia to further explore a deep borehole repository disposal solution for a proposed small modular reactor design that developers hope will help Estonia in its efforts to achieve net zero emissions.

Deep Isolation will work with Fermi Energia to analyze the costs and benefits of open or closed fuel cycle options deploying deep borehole repositories for direct disposal of spent nuclear fuel or vitrified waste produced from reprocessing that spent fuel.

Fermi Energia, an emerging company of nuclear and energy professionals founded to deploy SMRs in Estonia, first partnered with Deep Isolation in 2021 on a preliminary study that concluded that the majority of Estonia’s underground geology provides access to suitable rock formations that could safely isolate spent nuclear fuel in a horizontal borehole repository a kilometer underground.  In this new study, Deep Isolation will evaluate the costs of doing this in two scenarios: Through direct disposal of the spent fuel in its standard disposal canisters; and through disposal of the larger diameter vitrified waste form that would be produced if Estonia were to decide to reprocess its spent fuel.

“New nuclear energy investments in the European Union will be officially considered sustainable, under the recently adopted EU Taxonomy of Sustainable Finance, if they have in place by 2050 a nationally documented plan for an operational, final repository of spent fuel,” said Kalev Kallamets, CEO of Fermi Energia. “In our view, only the Deep Isolation solution can meet that criterion for new small modular reactor deployments in the EU, and that is why Deep Isolation is our go-to spent fuel repository solution.”

Deep Isolation’s borehole technology has attracted considerable interest among countries in Europe and the Pacific. The company recently announced a partnership with Amentum, a premier global technical and engineering services provider with expertise in nuclear waste management, that sets the stage for global delivery capabilities and a near-term pipeline for deep geological waste disposal valued at $30 billion in Asia and the Pacific.

A study published by Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) in December concluded that borehole disposal is feasible and may be a cost-effective solution for the heat generating high-level nuclear waste (including spent nuclear fuel and vitrified waste canisters) that are being temporarily stored by five ERDO countries.

After just four years as a public-facing company, Deep Isolation’s milestones include: contracts with a dozen countries across three continents, 18 patents and 90 notices of invention; a subsidiary in Europe; the acquisition of Freestone Environmental Services in the U.S.; and recently, four multi-million awards from the U.S. Department of Energy.

About Deep Isolation 

Deep Isolation is a leading global innovator in nuclear waste storage and disposal solutions. Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship and scientific ingenuity, the company’s patented solution of advanced nuclear technologies enables global delivery through its partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options.

Press Contact

Kari Hulac
media@deepisolation.com

Deep Isolation, Inc.
2001 Addison St, Ste. 300
Berkeley, CA 94704
www.deepisolation.com

Berkeley — Steve Nesbit, an expert in policy relating to nuclear power, has joined Deep Isolation as a Utilities Advisor.

Nesbit is the founder of LMNT Consulting Company and joins Deep Isolation as a consultant after a 40-year career in the nuclear power industry.  Nesbit’s career included 37 years at Duke Energy, where he most recently served for nine years as Director of Nuclear Policy.  Prior to that he was Spent Fuel Manager for the company and was heavily involved in nuclear industry technical and policy initiatives related to used fuel management.  Nesbit also worked on several DOE projects including the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository and the Centralized Interim Storage Facility Project.

“It’s exciting to have yet another respected nuclear industry veteran join our team,” said Deep Isolation CEO Liz Muller. “His knowledge of how industry and government come together to address spent fuel management will play a critical role in progressing nuclear waste disposal.”

Nesbit received Bachelor of Science and Master of Engineering degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Virginia. As a registered professional engineer in North Carolina, Nesbit was an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he taught nuclear engineering. Nesbit was ANS President from June 2021 to June 2022.

“It is essential that our country makes progress toward disposal of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste,” said Nesbit.  “I very much look forward to being part of the Deep Isolation team, which has done excellent work and is bringing much-needed innovative approaches to this area.”

After just four years as a public-facing company, Deep Isolation’s milestones include: contracts with a dozen countries across three continents, 18 patents and 90 notices of invention; a subsidiary in Europe; the acquisition of Freestone Environmental Services in the U.S.; and recently, two multi-million awards from the U.S. Government.

About Deep Isolation 

Deep Isolation is a leading global innovator in nuclear waste storage and disposal solutions. Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship and scientific ingenuity, the company’s patented solution of advanced nuclear technologies enables global delivery through its partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options.

Press Contacts

Zann Aeck
media@deepisolation.com

Deep Isolation, Inc.
2001 Addison St, Ste. 300
Berkeley, CA 94704
www.deepisolation.com

Berkeley —The lack of a viable spent fuel disposal solution remains an obstacle to the increasing global interest in nuclear power that guarantees energy security and helps enable a net zero world. Deep Isolation, a leading innovator in nuclear waste disposal solutions, is today kicking off an opportunity for investors to participate in the only scalable long-term solution for nuclear waste.

Deep Isolation’s advanced disposal technology brings a promising option to break through the nuclear waste disposal stalemate, enabling a more certain future for nuclear energy developers seeking to capitalize on this ESG opportunity.

With much of Europe and the world increasingly viewing nuclear as necessary for addressing both energy security and climate change, the market is primed for significant expansion.  This expansion is highlighted with the International Energy Agency forecasting that the world’s nuclear capacity will more than double between 2020 and 2050 – most of that growth front-loaded.  Investor interest is following, with Clean Tech, ESG, and Climate investors all increasingly leaning into advanced reactors, fusion, and ancillary services.

One of the most significant enablers for the expanded use of nuclear power is nuclear waste disposal. The U.S. is now investing heavily in nuclear back end, and starting January 1, 2023, all new nuclear power developers across the European Union will be required under the Complementary Climate Delegated Act to establish operational plans for a spent fuel disposal solution to meet Europe’s climate change aspirations. 

“Deep Isolation is solving the ‘what about the waste?’ problem. Their solution is elegant, effective, distributed, and exactly what nuclear energy communities need,” said Valerie Gardner, Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital. “Happily, we expect it to be available at the right price and the right time to help enable the growth of next-generation nuclear.”

To date, Deep Isolation has raised $24 million, including a $21 million Series A raise in 2020 led by nuclear industry leader NAC International, Inc. The company’s deep borehole solution provides a new path forward for accessing the $667 billion addressable global nuclear waste disposal market. 

“Deep Isolation is well-positioned to deliver significant returns on investment in timeframes that are aligned with VC requirements,” said Deep Isolation CEO and co-founder Liz Muller. “Nuclear has become not only a smart investment but a crucial one. In Europe, policymakers have now set a deadline for new nuclear investments to start disposing their spent fuel by 2050 or earlier – and Deep Isolation offers the only timely, scalable, safe, cost-effective option for most countries to meet that deadline. Similar concerns about energy security and climate change are driving demand for our solution globally.”

The company encourages interested parties to submit investment inquiries by September 23. It will be running a competitive process that will kick off on September 26. Please visit www.deepisolation.com/invest-in-deep-isolation to learn more and schedule an introductory meeting.

About Deep Isolation 

Deep Isolation is a leading global innovator in nuclear waste storage and disposal solutions. Driven by a passion for environmental stewardship and scientific ingenuity, the company’s patented solution of advanced nuclear technologies enables global delivery through its partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options.

Press Contacts

Zann Aeck — Deep Isolation
media@deepisolation.com

Deep Isolation, Inc.
2001 Addison St, Ste. 300
Berkeley, CA 94704
www.deepisolation.com