Deep Isolation selected for new US federal support

The California-based company's project is one of two selected for support under the latest iteration of the US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) initiative: the other selectee is Massachusetts-based Lithios, with a project to advance the electrochemical extraction of lithium from low grade US brines. ARPA-E has committed up to USD40 million to support the two projects.

The SCALEUP programme bridges the gap between pilot-scale demonstration and full commercial deployment, providing funding and support to validate first-of-a-kind energy technologies. Deep Isolation said the award would enable full-scale field testing of the Universal Canister System (UCS) including regulatory validation and demonstration of deep borehole disposal using a nonradioactive commercial pilot in Cameron, Texas.

The UCS is designed to accommodate a range of advanced reactor waste streams. The project brings together a team which includes Westinghouse, NAC International, Halliburton, Occlusion Nuclear Solutions, Amentum, and the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center, to demonstrate a fully integrated and permanent solution for advanced reactor and nuclear recycling waste. Westinghouse will serve as the launch customer, working with Deep Isolation and its supply chain partners to secure certification from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to enable the UCS to store and transport spent fuel from its eVinci microreactor. Halliburton will lead borehole construction, Occlusion will manage subsurface operations, NAC will lead UCS fabrication, surface operations, and licensing, and Amentum will oversee operational safety and quality assurance, ensuring the system is ready for commercial deployment.

"Being selected for this award is the single biggest milestone in Deep Isolation’s history," Deep Isolation President and CEO Rod Baltzer said. "It validates years of pioneering work on the Universal Canister System and positions us to deliver the world’s first full-scale, end-to-end, commercial-ready deep borehole disposal solution. We are creating a deployable, regulatory-approved system that will transform how the world manages nuclear waste safely, efficiently, and permanently."

Integrating UCS with eVinci microreactor technology provides a comprehensive solution for managing used nuclear fuel through its entire lifecycle, Westinghouse Chief Technology Officer Lou Martinez Sancho said. "This partnership showcases the impact of innovation, where we are merging our next-generation nuclear technology with a reliable, economical and adaptable method for handling nuclear waste. The Commercial Pilot will generate valuable insights which will set the stage for wider adoption and global confidence in advanced nuclear solutions," she added.

SCALEUP Ready is a rolling programme designed to accelerate commercial scale-up of high-impact energy technologies, in line with President Donald Trump's Januaey 2025 Executive Order on Unleashing American Energy.

"These first SCALEUP Ready projects show how we turn breakthrough innovation into real world capability," ARPA-E Director Conner Prochaska said. "SCALEUP Ready is about taking the most promising technologies and getting them built, deployed, and into the market where they can strengthen American energy and industry."