Berkeley — Deep Isolation US LLC (Deep Isolation) entered into a Mentor-Protégé Agreement with Salado Isolation Mining Contractors, LLC (SIMCO), the new Management and Operation contractor for the Department of Energy’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). SIMCO’s parent is Bechtel National, Inc.

The Parties agreed that establishing a mentor-protégé relationship will enhance the capabilities of Deep Isolation as it relates to performance assessment, licensing requirements, and permit compliance for nuclear waste disposal operations on behalf of the Department of Energy. The Parties believe that development in these areas will improve the Deep Isolation’s ability to win work disposing of nuclear waste using its deep borehole technology.

“This is an important milestone for Deep Isolation because it will allow us to add capacity on many of the elements that need to happen for a large disposal contract,” said Deep Isolation CEO and co-founder Liz Muller. “We are excited to work with SIMCO and the team from Bechtel and look forward to doing everything we can to assist with the effective and safe operations of the WIPP facility.”

Rick Kacich, Operations Manager for Bechtel National, Inc. is responsible for the mentor-protégé relationship, and stated, “We have been working with Deep Isolation since 2019, and are impressed with their approach to innovation, with the prospect of improving safety and reducing cost. We are delighted to assist them with building capacity through this mentor-protégé relationship.”

The mentor-protégé agreement could also lead to opportunities outside of the WIPP facility.

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About Deep Isolation

Deep Isolation specializes in deep borehole disposal of nuclear waste. We work with government waste management organizations to design a directionally-drilled borehole disposal solution that meets strict safety standards alongside local community preferences. We tailor our patented solution to the specific waste form, available geology options and local regulatory requirements of each client, with implementation through our partnerships with industry leaders as well as flexible IP licensing options.  Projects include advanced reactor and SMR waste disposal, stand-alone borehole disposal of small existing nuclear waste inventories, and working alongside mined repository programs to increase safety and reduce costs by moving certain waste streams into boreholes.

Press Contact

Sophie McCallum:
media@deepisolation.com
Deep Isolation, Inc.
2001 Addison St., Suite 300
Berkeley, CA 94704 USA
www.deepisolation.com

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