Deep Isolation Begins Surface Pad Construction for First Full-Scale Deep Borehole Nuclear Waste Disposal Demonstration
Key Highlights
- ➤Deep Isolation began well-pad construction for its full-scale Texas demonstration
- ➤ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready agreement provides up to $20 million in funding
- ➤Well-pad construction is forecast to finish by December 2026
- ➤Halliburton (HAL) and Amentum (AMTM) are collaborating on the demonstration
- ➤Drilling and borehole completion are expected after surface infrastructure finishes
Expert Statements
Jesse Sloane, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Deep Isolation
“Beginning site preparation and well pad construction is a significant execution milestone for the Commercialization Pilot.”
Jesse Sloane, Executive Vice President of Engineering at Deep Isolation
“It allows us to transition from engineering and planning into field operations, where we can demonstrate our technology at full scale and collect the operational data needed to support commercialization.”
Steve Haden, Senior Vice President, Project Management, Halliburton
“The deep borehole Commercialization Pilot highlights how proven subsurface engineering and well construction experience can support new applications.”
Steve Haden, Senior Vice President, Project Management, Halliburton
“Halliburton brings subsurface, drilling, and well construction experience developed through decades of complex projects, and we look forward to supporting the execution of the demonstration well.”
PLANO, Texas, Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. (OTCQB: DBHL) (“Deep Isolation” or the “Company”), a leading innovator in nuclear waste disposal technology, today announced the commencement of site preparation activities, including well pad construction at the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center near Cameron, Texas, marking an early field-execution milestone under the Company’s recently awarded ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready agreement. The well pad will provide the foundation for drilling, casing and cementing operations required to construct the demonstration borehole.
The work represents the next major milestone in the Company's multi-year Commercialization Pilot and advances the world's first full-scale, at-depth demonstration of deep borehole technology for the safe and permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Once drilling is complete, the site will be ready to support the surface handling, deployment and retrieval equipment used to emplace and recover Deep Isolation's patented Universal Canister System (UCS). The demonstration will utilize non-radioactive packages to simulate full radiological repository operations.
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