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December 2022
Deep Isolation is pleased to announce it is part of its fourth U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E grant project of 2022: We are joining a $2.8 million award project led by EPRI, along with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Southern Company Research and Development, to conduct a joint research and development project on nuclear fuel management options to help power advanced nuclear energy systems, which could play an important role in meeting national decarbonization goals.

Additional 2022 grant projects include: a $3.6 million grant to develop a universal nuclear waste disposal canister for advanced reactor waste streams,  a $4 million grant with advanced reactor developer Oklo, Inc. and other partners to develop the first nuclear fuel recycling and disposal facility in the United States; and a $4.9 million award to work with Argonne National Laboratory to develop an integrated waste disposal plan using cost-effective deep borehole repository technology for oxide reduction waste, while also determining ideal waste acceptance parameters that would help reduce disposal costs.
 
Collectively, these projects are expanding applications of Deep Isolation’s technologies across a wider range of current and future fuel cycle options.

Please visit our News and Events page for more details.

EPRI press release
This Deep Isolation study indicates that a deep borehole disposal repository could meet all prerequisites and be safe and cost-effective as well as easily deployed and scalable. -Kalev Kallemets, CEO Fermi Energia

Deep Isolation embarks on borehole cost study for proposed SMR in Estonia

Deep Isolation recently announced its second borehole study in Estonia in support of Fermi Energia's efforts to deploy a small modular reactor that would help the country reach net-zero emissions.

Fermi Energia 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.  (We recently published a case study about this project.)

The new study will evaluate the costs of borehole disposal for two scenarios: Direct disposal of the spent fuel in its standard disposal canisters; and disposal of the larger diameter vitrified waste form that would be produced if Estonia were to decide to reprocess its spent fuel.

Read the press release

Innovations in canister design could offer improved cost-effectiveness and flexibility in nuclear waste disposal systems


Learn more about how innovations in nuclear waste canister design elements could offer improved disposal cost effectiveness and flexibility in a new article in the November issue of the International Journal for Nuclear Power.

In the article, co-authored by Deep Isolation's Mark Frei, Jesse Sloane and Chris Parker and Steve Sisley, Program Manager NAC International Inc., explores the technical aspects of building a “disposal ready” canister that would accept waste directly from a cooling pool and then could be emplaced into a deep borehole repository. A standardized canister designed for borehole disposal presents an opportunity for greater system efficiencies throughout the nuclear power life cycle while preserving disposal options for traditional mined geologic repositories.

Read the article.

Most popular podcast episodes of 2022


Nuclear Waste: The Whole Story features more than 20 interviews with scientists, citizens and nuclear energy experts. To close out 2022, we compiled some quotes from the most downloaded episodes of the year.

You'll hear from a Scotland-based geologist, a former U.S. Dept. of Energy official, a pro-nuclear activist in the U.K. and a nuclear industry communications officer from South Africa.

Find all of the episodes at nuclearwastepodcast.com or on your favorite podcast player.
We welcome your podcast ideas and feedback. Email us at podcast@deepisolation.com.
Listen Here

From us to you: Thoughts and hopes looking toward 2023 

It's been a whirlwind of a year for nuclear, as countries scramble to revisit this clean energy source to fight climate change and achieve energy security in an volatile market. And with this resurgence has come more interest in deep boreholes as a potential waste solution, with governments investing heavily in research and development, as you might have read in this very newsletter.

With 2023 around the corner, we'd like to close out our final newsletter of 2022 with a few comments from our team on what they're optimistic about for the new year.

Steve Nesbit"The big story this year is the unbelievable turnaround for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.  At the beginning of the year, the smart money was on Diablo shutting down in  2024-25.  However, an unlikely grassroots coalition pushed for reconsideration,and now it looks like the plant will run for at least an additional five years, producing clean and reliable power for the people of California." — Steve Nesbit, Utilities Advisor

Liz Muller"I am hopeful because of the growing number of people supporting our efforts to enable a future for nuclear power. There is support from the nuclear industry, but also from governments, citizens, environmentalists, and investors. Responsibly disposing of waste means that nuclear power can be 'green,' and the world is waking up to the potential that it has to help with climate change and energy security."
— Liz Muller, CEO


"In 2023 I’ll be thinking about the role of inter-generational wastes in a more sustainable world."
John Midgley, Geologist and Borehole Sciences

In case you missed it: In a new video, hear from Deep Isolation company leaders, CEO Liz Muller, COO Rod Baltzer and Director of Global Sales Chris Parker on why deep boreholes are becoming part of the world conversation about nuclear waste.
Watch video
Visit SolveNuclearWaste.org to sign our pledge

Deep Isolation news and industry events


Nuclear Newswire, Nov. 22, 2022
Nuclear waste disposal—What choice do we really have?
Nuclear waste disposal presents a frustrating problem far beyond its actual danger. No one has ever been harmed by commercial nuclear waste, and no one is likely to ever be harmed.

atw - International Journal for Nuclear Poweratw - International Journal for Nuclear Power, Nov. 2022

Innovations in Canister Design could offer improved cost-effectiveness and Flexibility in Nuclear Waste Disposal Systems

Chris Parker, Jesse Sloane, Mark Frei, from Deep Isolation and Steve Sisley from NAC describe the recent advances in canister engineering designs for storage, transportation and disposal of spent fuel assemblies from pressurized water reactors in the International Journal for Nuclear Power, beginning on page 39.
 

Nuclear Engineering InternationalNuclear Engineering International Magazine, Nov. 3, 2022

Deep thought on disposal
Successfully creating a deep geological disposal site for high-level waste has long been a key challenge for the nuclear industry. Now, a series of breakthroughs seems to show light at the end of the tunnel, including deep borehole disposal.

APAssociated Press, Nov. 2, 2022
Oklo Selected for U.S. DOE Project to Enable Recycling of Used Nuclear Fuel in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory, Deep Isolation, and Case Western Reserve University
 

Event, Feb. 26 - March 2, 2023
Waste Management Symposia 2023
Deep Isolation will present two papers at the Waste Management Symposia 2023 in Phoenix, taking place Feb. 26 - March 2, 2023: One will update our progress toward developing a new universal waste canister, and the other provides an update on our progress toward demonstrating technical readiness.
 

More Deep Isolation news & events

From the Editor


Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter.
If you have any questions about this content or any other feedback, please contact info@deepisolation.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Best Regards,

Kari Hulac
Communications Manager
Deep Isolation
Copyright © 2022 Deep Isolation, All rights reserved.


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