Around the world, about 490,000 metric tons of radioactive spent fuel is temporarily stored in pools and dry casks above ground. No spent nuclear fuel anywhere in the world has yet been placed in a permanent repository.
It is time to consider alternative options to address an issue that is growing in scope and scale.
Mission
Knowing that something must be done in the U.S. and around the world to dispose of nuclear waste, Deep Isolation founders Elizabeth Muller and Richard A. Muller brought together the innovation and agility of a Silicon Valley startup with nuclear and scientific expertise to offer an innovative solution to the impasse of nuclear waste disposal that prioritizes environmental protection and community partnerships.
Core Values
At Deep Isolation, we maintain a core value of putting stakeholders and community engagement at the center of our solution design. Our focus on public and stakeholder engagement reflects “best practice” and lessons learned from past experience in the field of nuclear waste disposal. We uphold that greater participation from communities can bring mutually beneficial solutions to address spent nuclear fuel.
A New Approach
In the US, 1 out of every 3rd person lives within 50 miles of a nuclear waste storage site. With no present solution yet approved by the U.S. Government for permanent underground disposal in 2015, our founders thought to apply directional drilling technology to nuclear waste management. And after two years of technical due diligence and stakeholder listening, they realized that this private innovation could have something to offer. Deep Isolation entered the market in the Spring of 2018 and continues to gain traction through a public-private partnership approach.
Investors
Funding for Deep Isolation comes primarily from concerned citizens and successful entrepreneurs, as well as environmentalists. Our lead investor is NAC International, a leading nuclear fuel cycle consulting and technology solutions. Our investors are people who care about this issue and wish to support innovation that can bring forward additional disposal options.
Global Service
Headquartered in Berkeley, CA, Deep Isolation is a global company with offices in Washington DC, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Our partnerships with Bechtel and NAC International enable our capability for global solution delivery.
Challenges are opportunities. We are doing something that has never been done before. And that’s much of what makes it so rewarding.
Technology Demonstration
On January 16, 2019, Deep Isolation publicly demonstrated its technology at a commercial drilling test facility.
FAQS
Deep Isolation answers frequently asked questions about our technology, our process, and safety.
