Deep borehole disposal project boosts UK’s nuclear waste readiness

Funded by the UK’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund and monitored by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), the effort led to the manufacture of a first-of-its-kind disposal canister prototype aligned to UK regulatory requirements and the disposal needs of Britain’s planned new build nuclear capacity.

The project is expected to give UK manufacturers early­-mover advantage in the global borehole disposal market with high-quality disposal canisters representing a potential global market value of over £100bn over the next 20-30 years.

Launched in December 2022, this project helped validate Deep Isolation’s patented borehole disposal technology for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW).

Conducted in collaboration with the Nuclear AMRC, NAC International, Inc, and Sheffield University, the effort focused on canister design validation and assessing the UK’s manufacturing supply chain capabilities.

“This project is a game-changer for deep borehole disposal canisters,” Rod Baltzer, CEO at Deep Isolation said in a statement. “It not only validates key aspects of our technology but also advances manufacturability, cost efficiency, and supply chain readiness – paving the way for future deployments.”