Deep borehole disposal
A maturing solution to a global problem
The need for international collaboration
A 12-month stakeholder research project across eighteen countries by Deep Isolation and the University of Sheffield, published in March 2022, found that regulators, policymakers, and waste management practitioners internationally view deep borehole disposal as a significant opportunity for many national radioactive waste management programs. These stakeholders identify the single most important challenge to be addressed ahead of licensed disposal of radioactive waste is an end-to-end demonstration of the technology.
Responding to that need
Following publication of this research, a group of international stakeholders – including industry, regulatory experts and national waste management organizations – came together in a process of dialogue during 2023 to determine the best way of addressing this need. This resulted in the decision to establish an independent, collaborative, multi-stakeholder driven, nonprofit organization: the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center. It will host progressively advanced deep borehole disposal experiments and tests, ultimately leading up to an end-to-end (non-radioactive) demonstration of the deep borehole disposal technology.