nuclear-news

A nuclear reactor is being installed a mile underground in Kansas

Deep Fission has just received safety approval from the US Department of Energy for a reactor design that it plans to install at the bottom of a deep hole

By Vanessa Bates Ramirez, New Scientist 2nd Sept 2026

Nuclear power start-up Deep Fission wants to put a reactor where no reactor has gone before: a mile underground. The California-based company received safety approval for its reactor design from the US Department of Energy earlier this month, and is preparing the site for its commercial pilot outside Parsons, a small city in south-east Kansas. 

The company hopes that placing a reactor deep underground will cut installation and operational costs, particularly since the bedrock can provide natural containment and pressure for the reactor. This eliminates the need for a heavy-duty concrete containment dome like those that enclose conventional nuclear reactors, which account for a significant portion of their cost and the time it takes to build them. But independent engineers say it is unclear how successful the approach will be. ………………….(Subscribers only)
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2587049-a-nuclear-reactor-is-being-installed-a-mile-underground-in-kansas/

September 6, 2026 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Small Modular Nuclear Reactors