Deep Isolation Joins International WISARD Initiative to Build Integrated Waste Solutions for a Sustainable Nuclear Future

June 06, 2025 at 06:31 AM EDT

BERKELEY, Calif., June 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Deep Isolation, a leading innovator in nuclear waste disposal technology, today announced its participation in the newly launched WISARD (Waste Integration for Small and Advanced Reactor Designs), a three-year international project spearheaded by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). The initiative aims to develop integrated approaches to radioactive waste management for the next generation of nuclear power systems.

WISARD brings together public and private stakeholders from across the nuclear lifecycle to drive innovation in how reactor design influences waste strategies across four critical areas: treatment and recycling, storage, transportation, and final disposal.

Deep Isolation will contribute technical expertise and data to help inform how integrated management strategies can enhance safety and reduce costs across these four areas.

“We welcome Deep Isolation’s support and participation in the WISARD project,” said Rebecca Tadesse, Head of the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning. “Their knowledge and expertise in integrated waste management and canister solutions will contribute to the success of the project.”

Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System (UCS) is a triple-purpose canister designed for safe storage, transportation, and deep geologic disposal. It is compatible with both mined and borehole repositories and supports a range of advanced reactor waste streams, enabling flexibility in future waste disposition pathways.

“Deep Isolation is delighted to collaborate with NEA on this ambitious initiative,” said Chris Parker, Chief Commercialization Officer at Deep Isolation. “The world needs advanced nuclear to meet rising energy demands and address climate change, but the deployment must be matched with thoughtful, efficient strategies for managing the waste. WISARD provides a vital platform to align public and private sector efforts around these long-term solutions.”

Deep Isolation’s participation in WISARD builds on recent research presented at the 2025 Waste Management Symposia (WMS). The company’s paper Opportunities and Barriers for Optimizing Costs Across the Back End of the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle underscores the importance of WISARD’s work to integrate waste management into deployment strategies for small and advanced reactors right from the outset — and demonstrates strong demand across the nuclear industry for innovative products, like the UCS, that can reduce costs and uncertainty for the industry across storage, transportation, and disposal.

Additional studies presented at WMS, including Progress on the Development of the Universal Canister System for Advanced Reactor Waste Forms and Economic Case for Universal Canister System in Dry Storage, Transportation, and Disposal, underscore the value of Deep Isolation’s UCS in enabling practical, long-term, cost-optimized waste strategies for advanced reactor technologies.

To read NEA’s press release: https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_105787/planning-for-sustainability-from-the-start-launch-of-the-wisard-project

About Deep Isolation

Named as one of Goldman Sachs’ Top 30 Startups in carbon capture, hydrogen power, and nuclear energy, Deep Isolation is the first company commercializing nuclear waste disposal in deep boreholes. It offers a uniquely tailored solution to help countries complete the necessary steps to dispose of their waste inventories. With 87 patents issued to date, it leverages proven drilling practices to safely isolate waste deep underground in horizontal, vertical, or slanted borehole repositories. Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System (UCS) was developed through a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency -Energy (ARPA-E), and is engineered to support integrated management of spent fuel and high-level waste from advanced reactors across storage, transportation and eventual disposal.

For more information, visit www.deepisolation.com

For media inquiries, please contact: media@deepisolation.com

About the NEA

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental agency under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). It facilitates cooperation among countries with advanced nuclear technology infrastructures to seek excellence in nuclear safety, technology, science, environment and law. The NEA currently consists of 34 member countries representing 80% of the world's installed nuclear electricity generating capacity.

About WISARD

WISARD (Waste Integration for Small and Advanced Reactor Designs) is a three-year joint project launched by the NEA in May 2025. It brings together international stakeholders from across the nuclear energy lifecycle to evaluate how design decisions in advanced reactor systems influence backend waste management strategies. The project focuses on integrating considerations for storage, treatment and recycling, transportation, and disposal from the earliest stages of reactor development to promote sustainable and cost-effective solutions.