TLDR · SCIENCE & FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY

NUCLEAR STARTUP DEEP FISSION PLANS TO BURY MICRO-REACTORS TO POWER DATA CENTERS

techcrunch.com4 min read

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

Deep Fission is a nuclear startup that wants to bury small nuclear reactors underground. The depth will act as a substitute for the tons of concrete required to safeguard aboveground reactors. The startup plans to lower its reactors on cables down a 30-inch, one-mile-deep borehole. Any maintenance will require hauling the reactor to the surface, which would take about an hour or two. Deep Fission is targeting between five to seven cents per kilowatt-hour, half of what new nuclear power costs today in the US. It has yet to receive a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.