Berkeley, Calif.-based Deep Isolation was issued a drilling permit by a Texas state agency for its full-scale, non-nuclear borehole demonstration project in Cameron, Texas, the company said Oct. 1.
The Texas Railroad Commission issued the permit. With this regulatory approval, Deep Isolation said in its press release, the borehole disposal pilot project can move from engineering and design to construction at the site. The company plans to conduct site and construction activities ahead of drilling and subsurface testing.
Deep Isolation’s project, which the company refers to as its Commercialization Pilot, serves as a program to collect data and gain operational experience to progress the company’s commercialization strategy for its disposal technology, the company said. It broke ground for the project in late January.
“Receipt of this permit is a major milestone for Deep Isolation as we move the development of our deep borehole disposal technology into field activities,” Deep Isolation Executive Vice President of Engineering Jesse Sloane said in the release.
“The Commercialization Pilot is designed to demonstrate, at full scale and at depth, the integrated technologies and operations that underpin our deep borehole disposal solution,” Sloane finished.
Deep Isolation is working with Haliburton, Amentum, NAC International and Occlusion Nuclear Solutions for the project taking place at the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center in Texas.
The company will use its Universal Canister System for the demonstration pilot project. The Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System is a triple-purpose canister designed to ensure the safe storage, transport and permanent disposal of spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
The technology will be filled with a nonradioactive material to replicate the weight of a fully loaded canister during the project, Deep Isolation previously told Exchange Monitor.