Get the latest tech news

Nuclear reactors a mile underground promise safe, cheap power

Startup Deep Fission has come up with a new way to deal with the economic and safety problems of nuclear power that is, to say the least, novel. The idea is to build a reactor that's under 30 inches (76 cm) wide and stick it down a mile-deep (1.6-km) drill shaft.

Where the real expense comes from is the massive civil engineering required to contain the nuclear reactor and protect the outside world in the event of a catastrophic accident. The clever bit is to vastly simplify the design and do without all that ultra-expensive civil engineering by lowering the reactor down a drill shaft a mile deep. The concept still has a long way to go, but Deep Fission has already begun the pre-application and application review process with the Department of Energy of its plan for developing the system and finding the best geological location for a pilot plant.

Get the Android app