In the 1950s, the United States began detonating nuclear bombs underground to limit both the radioactive and sociopolitical consequences of surface testing. Hundreds of feet of rock formed a tidy barrier for the next 40 years as nations continued to bombard the surface.
Now, a nuclear startup wants to bury a small reactor underground, using the depth as an alternative to the tons of concrete needed to protect above-ground reactors. company, deep cleavageIt signed a deal Tuesday with data center developer Endeavor to build 2 gigawatts worth of underground nuclear power.
Nuclear startups are having a moment, driven in part by the growing power demands of datacenters running compute-intensive workloads for AI applications. There is Google Paired with Kairos 500 MW' worth of reactors, while Amazon has turned into X-Energy For about 300 MW' worth. Data center operator Switch has signed an agreement With Sam Altman-backed Oklo For 12 GW of electricity. Meanwhile, Meta is taking a different tack, Inviting nuclear developers Submit proposal.
Most nuclear startups specialize in small modular reactor designs, which promise cost reductions through mass production techniques. Their compact footprints are also attractive to developers who like to maximize the number of servers in their properties.
Deep fission reactors will be lowered on cables down 30-inch, one-mile deep boreholes. Reactors are a common method of pressurized water design, used in everything from nuclear submarines to massive power plants. A steam generator connected to the furnace will turn the heat into steam, which will be fed to the surface through pipes running the length of the borehole. Any maintenance would require taking the reactor to the surface, which the company said would take “only an hour or two.” Deep fission is targeting between five and seven cents per kilowatt-hour, less than half that Lazard hypothesis New nuclear power consumption in the US today
The deal is the latest in a flurry of deals that, if completed, would mark the beginning of a nuclear power renaissance as US Deep Fission plans to launch its first reactor in 2029, in line with other companies' plans.
Also like most of its counterparts, Deep Fission has not yet received a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The startup started the process in March. In the past, approval could take years, but a new law sets an 18-month timeline for the NRC to give small modular reactors the thumbs up or down. So far, Kairos is the only company Successfully made it through process