Deep Isolation
Deep Isolation develops directional drilling-based technology for deep underground disposal of nuclear waste, serving governments, federal contractors, and advanced reactor developers through licensed IP, foundation studies, and a partner ecosystem for end-to-end disposal program delivery.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersPlano, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Deep Isolation does
Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based nuclear waste disposal technology company founded in 2016 by Elizabeth Muller and the late Richard A. Muller. The company has developed and patented a directional drilling-based disposal method that emplaces corrosion-resistant waste canisters hundreds to thousands of meters underground in stable geological formations via vertical, horizontal, or slanted boreholes, pairing engineered barriers (Universal Canister System, steel casing, sealed borehole) with natural geological isolation. Its technology portfolio includes over 100 issued patents covering repository architecture, canister systems, emplacement and retrieval technologies, patented radioisotope dating for site characterization, and numerical safety modeling validated in peer-reviewed journals. Deep Isolation completed an Alternative Public Offering in July 2025 alongside a $33M oversubscribed private placement, files SEC reports, and operates wholly owned subsidiaries including Deep Isolation UK Ltd. (opened 2020, covering Europe, Middle East and Asia) and Freestone Environmental Services (acquired 2021, Richland, WA).
Deep Isolation's business model combines government grant funding, professional services for foundation studies and planning, licensed IP partnerships, and joint end-to-end program delivery through a Capability Ecosystem of strategic partners (Amentum, Bechtel, NAC International, Halliburton, Occlusion Nuclear Solutions, Westinghouse, Dominion Engineering, Freestone Environmental). Revenue streams include licensing royalties (e.g., $300K+ annually from Navarro Research and Engineering licensing deal for nearly 90 patents), ARPA-E grant-funded research programs (CURIE $4.9M, ONWARDS $3.6M, SCALEUP Ready up to $20M), foundation studies for international clients (Estonia, ERDO/NND consortium, Bulgaria Kozloduy), and integrated delivery programs structured with ecosystem partners. In January 2026 the company launched a full-scale non-radioactive deep borehole demonstration program at the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center near Cameron, Texas. For Q1 2026 the company reported revenue of $1.4M, a net loss of $5.4M, and $22.2M in cash as of March 31, 2026. Customer concentration is high, with reliance on U.S. DOE programs and a small set of large international government and federal contractor engagements.
Deep Isolation serves governments, federal contractors, advanced reactor developers, and utilities evaluating deep borehole disposal as an alternative to mined geological repositories. Its competitive position rests on a defensible IP portfolio, validated engineering (ARPA-E Project UPWARDS, SAVANT, CURIE, SCALEUP Ready), and a deep partner ecosystem, though U.S. federal law currently does not authorize borehole repositories for high-level waste, creating a regulatory dependency on future legislative change.
Deep Isolation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Deep Isolation
- Legal name
- Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc.
- Website
- https://deepisolation.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Deep Isolation develops directional drilling-based technology for deep underground disposal of nuclear waste, serving governments, federal contractors, and advanced reactor developers through licensed IP, foundation studies, and a partner ecosystem for end-to-end disposal program delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Deep Isolation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nuclear Waste Disposal Technology and Services
- NAICS
- Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)
- SIC
- Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Radioactive Waste Processing, Packaging & On-site Interim Storage (Decommissioning Waste) (EUAKAFAE)
Keywords
Where Deep Isolation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Plano
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Deep Isolation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Licensing Royalties: Licensing of Deep Isolation's directional borehole disposal IP and patent portfolio to governments, commercial firms, and federal contractors. Example: September 2025 licensing agreement with Navarro Research and Engineering granting access to nearly 90 patents and generating at least $300,000 annually, with potential to scale.
- Professional Services (Planning, Foundation Studies, Building-Block Projects): Custom consulting and engineering services for government and commercial clients evaluating borehole disposal, including Planning Services, Building-Block Projects, and Licensed IP Support. Example engagements: foundation study for Estonia's Fermi Energia SMR project and ERDO/NND consortium of European countries.
- Government Grant Funding: Non-dilutive and program-related funding from U.S. Department of Energy ARPA-E programs: $4.9M (CURIE), $3.6M (ONWARDS), up to $20M (SCALEUP Ready), and prior ARPA-E Project SAVANT funding. Reported Q1 2026 revenue of $1.4 million.
- Partner-Delivered End-to-End Solution Revenue: Joint delivery of end-to-end borehole disposal programs together with Capability Ecosystem partners (Amentum, Bechtel, NAC International, Occlusion, Halliburton), structured as integrated, quality-assured programs of work for government and commercial customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based licensing and professional services; not publicly disclosed |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Deep Isolation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Deep Isolation develops and commercializes directional-drilling-based technology for the deep underground disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The company offers a standardized Universal Canister System (UCS), patented borehole repository architecture, and a three-phase delivery roadmap (Foundation Study, Operational Readiness, Disposal) delivered through direct enterprise sales, licensed IP partnerships, and a Capability Ecosystem of strategic partners to governments and commercial nuclear operators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Universal Canister System (UCS): Standardized canister system engineered to support integrated storage, transportation, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste; developed via DOE ARPA-E Project UPWARDS and validated under Project SAVANT.
Products and services
- Directional Borehole Disposal Deep Isolation's foundational nuclear waste disposal method that uses directional drilling technology to emplace nuclear waste canisters hundreds to thousands of meters underground within stable geological formations, supporting vertical, horizontal, angled (slanted), or modular borehole configurations.
- Universal Canister System (UCS) Standardized canister system developed over a three-year DOE-funded Project UPWARDS to safely store, transport, and dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Validated under Project SAVANT for corrosion resistance and engineered to support advanced reactor waste streams including lanthanide borosilicate glass, TRISO spent fuel, and frozen halide salts from molten salt reactors.
- Nuclear Waste Disposal Solutions (Licensed Partnerships Program) Government and commercial licensing program that provides access to Deep Isolation's directional borehole disposal intellectual property and three-step roadmap (Foundation Study, Operational Readiness, Disposal), including Planning Services, Building-Block Projects, Licensed IP Support, and Partner Delivery options.
- Deep Borehole Demonstration Program (DBDC, Cameron, Texas) Full-scale, multi-year, non-radioactive deep borehole demonstration program at the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center near Cameron, Texas. Validates UCS handling, emplacement, and retrieval using full-scale equipment in geology similar to a real disposal site, in collaboration with Halliburton, Amentum, NAC International, Occlusion Nuclear Solutions, and the DBDC.
- Freestone Environmental Services Multi-discipline environmental and water resources consulting firm headquartered in Richland, Washington, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Deep Isolation. Provides regulatory compliance, site investigation and remediation, natural resource management, and technology development services to public and private sector clients.
Companies that use Deep Isolation
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles3 records
Deep Isolation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Deep Isolation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Deep Isolation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Holtec International: Holtec is a leading provider of spent nuclear fuel storage and transportation systems (HI-STORM casks) and is developing a consolidated interim storage facility in New Mexico. It directly competes with Deep Isolation in the nuclear waste storage and disposal value chain, addressing the same utility customer base with engineered storage and transport solutions.
- NAC International: NAC is a nuclear fuel cycle consulting and technology company that supplies storage, transport, and disposal canisters, and is also a lead investor and partner in Deep Isolation. It is a direct peer in spent fuel management and dry cask storage, and a strategic collaborator integrating Deep Isolation's Universal Canister System into its licensed systems.
- Waste Control Specialists (WCS): WCS is a Texas-based provider of low-level radioactive waste disposal, storage, and treatment services, acquired by J.F. Lehman & Company in 2018. It is a direct peer in commercial nuclear waste disposal; Deep Isolation's CEO Rod Baltzer was previously WCS President and CEO and led its NRC license application for consolidated interim storage of used nuclear fuel.
Broad incumbents
- Orano: Orano (France) is a global nuclear fuel cycle company operating the only commercial-scale deep geological repository for intermediate-level waste (Centre de la Manche, France) and developing the Cigeo project for high-level waste. It competes broadly with Deep Isolation in end-to-end nuclear waste management and is a natural counterpart for international licensing and partnership opportunities.
- Amentum: Amentum is a major government services and nuclear engineering firm that supports DOE, NRC, and defense nuclear programs, and is a Deep Isolation Capability Ecosystem partner. It is a broad incumbent in nuclear project delivery and a channel for Deep Isolation's licensed technology into federal programs.
- Halliburton: Halliburton hosts the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center at its Cameron, Texas drilling technology facility and collaborates on the full-scale demonstration program. Halliburton is a broad incumbent in directional drilling and well-construction services that Deep Isolation's borehole technology is built upon.
- Bechtel: Bechtel is a global EPC leader in nuclear infrastructure and a Deep Isolation Capability Ecosystem partner. It is a broad incumbent in nuclear project delivery and an obvious channel for Deep Isolation's technology into large government and utility-led disposal programs.
- Veolia Nuclear Solutions: Veolia Nuclear Solutions (part of Veolia Group) provides decommissioning, waste management, and engineering services to commercial and government nuclear customers globally. It is a broad incumbent in the nuclear waste value chain and a relevant comparator for Deep Isolation's licensing and partner-delivery model.
Regional players
- Posiva: Posiva is the Finnish company building the Onkalo spent nuclear fuel repository, the world's first geological disposal facility for high-level waste. It is a regional peer in deep geological disposal of HLW and a natural benchmark for licensing, safety case, and operations design that Deep Isolation will be measured against.
Emerging players
- Lithios: Lithios is the other ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready deep borehole disposal awardee (sharing the $40M program with Deep Isolation). It is an emerging peer developing advanced borehole-based lithium extraction and, increasingly, parallel deep borehole disposal approaches — the only direct U.S. competitor for federal borehole disposal demonstration funding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Deep Isolation social profiles
Digital presenceDeep Isolation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Deep Isolation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Deep Isolation subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Deep Isolation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds10 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Deep Isolation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Deep Isolation
What does Deep Isolation do?
Deep Isolation develops and commercializes directional-drilling-based technology for the deep underground disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The company offers a standardized Universal Canister System (UCS), patented borehole repository architecture, and a three-phase delivery roadmap (Foundation Study, Operational Readiness, Disposal) delivered through direct enterprise sales, licensed IP partnerships, and a Capability Ecosystem of strategic partners to governments and commercial nuclear operators.
Is Deep Isolation a public or private company?
Deep Isolation is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Deep Isolation founded?
Deep Isolation was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Deep Isolation based?
Deep Isolation is headquartered in Plano, United States, in the North America region.
How does Deep Isolation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Licensing Royalties are the primary driver. The others are professional Services (Planning, Foundation Studies, Building-Block Projects), government Grant Funding and partner-Delivered End-to-End Solution Revenue.
Who are Deep Isolation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Holtec International, NAC International and Waste Control Specialists (WCS). Broad incumbents are Orano, Amentum, Halliburton, Bechtel and Veolia Nuclear Solutions. Posiva is listed as a regional player. Lithios is listed as an emerging player.
Does Deep Isolation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Deep Isolation.
What industry is Deep Isolation in?
Deep Isolation's product category is Nuclear Waste Disposal Technology and Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAKAFAE, Radioactive Waste Processing, Packaging & On-site Interim Storage (Decommissioning Waste). Its NAICS code is 56221 and its SIC code is 4955.