Latest news with #DeepFission
Associated Press
30-04-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Deep Fission Joins Texas Nuclear Alliance as Corporate Board Member
Austin, TX April 29, 2025 --( )-- The Texas Nuclear Alliance (TNA) proudly welcomes Deep Fission, a nuclear technology company developing and deploying scalable small modular reactors a mile underground, as a Founding Member at the Corporate Board level. 'Deep Fission is redefining what's possible for our energy landscape, pairing proven nuclear technology with bold engineering to deliver clean, reliable power from a mile beneath our feet,' said TNA President Reed Clay. 'TNA is proud to partner with Deep Fission who is paving the way for a strong energy future with innovation and ingenuity.' 'We're honored to join the Texas Nuclear Alliance as a founding member,' said Liz Muller, CEO of Deep Fission. 'Texas is poised to be a leader in deploying advanced nuclear technology, and we're proud to be part of that momentum. The Alliance brings together the urgency, expertise, and vision needed to accelerate next-generation energy solutions. At Deep Fission, we believe scalable, underground reactors can deliver carbon-free nuclear power that's faster to build, more cost-effective, and ready to meet Texas-sized demand.' About Deep Fission Deep Fission is revolutionizing the energy landscape with innovative technology that places small modular reactors a mile underground. The team of leading scientists, engineers, and visionaries is driven by a shared commitment to advancing safe, reliable, and affordable low-carbon energy solutions. The company is actively engaged with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and is pursuing commercial projects worldwide. For more information, visit About the Texas Nuclear Alliance TNA is the only industry association in Texas dedicated to the advancement of nuclear technology in the state. TNA was formed with a singular mission: to make Texas the Nuclear Capital of the World. Formed in 2022 in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, TNA is based on the fundamental premise that if Texas and the world want low-carbon, reliable energy, it can no longer turn its back on nuclear energy. Nuclear is clean, safe, reliable, and secure. Contact Information: Texas Nuclear Alliance Lauren Clay 512-567-7604 Contact via Email Read the full story here: Deep Fission Joins Texas Nuclear Alliance as Corporate Board Member Press Release Distributed by
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Nuclear Energy Developers Are Suing Federal Regulators
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)—the federal body that regulates America's nuclear power plants—has long been criticized for stunting domestic nuclear power production with stringent regulations. Nuclear energy developers and states are pushing back. In December, Utah, Texas, and microreactor company Last Energy sued the NRC, challenging the agency's regulatory authority. Last week, underground nuclear energy developer Deep Fission joined the suit. The lawsuit challenges the NRC's Utilization Facility Rule, which requires all nuclear power–producing entities—even those that generate only enough electricity to turn on a lightbulb—to obtain a costly operating license before powering on. While Deep Fission "feels good about our ability to be regulated under the current regime," the company is concerned "about the impact on the world if nuclear is unable to move forward faster – to meet the current anticipated energy demand," Liz Muller, co-founder and CEO of Deep Fission, tells Reason. "We plan to meet the highest nuclear safety standards, and we believe that it can be done with a streamlined and more modern regulatory process that takes into account the small size and inherent safety of our reactors." The NRC's archaic, one-size-fits-all regulations have added undue costs and delays to the nuclear energy industry for no benefit to public health or safety. Test reactors on college campuses, which are recognized by the NRC to present "a lower potential radiological risk to the environment and the public," must comply with the Utilization Facility Rule. As a result, they have to pay an annual licensing fee of $124,400 per reactor. These include reactors at the University of Utah (100 kilowatts) and Texas A&M University, whose two reactors produce 1 megawatt (MW) and 5 watts of electricity (that amount isn't enough to power a typical LED lightbulb). Louisiana does not have a test reactor at any of its universities, but has charted a pathway toward developing small modular reactors, and joined the lawsuit in April. Deep Fission is also negatively impacted by the rule. Using a 30-inch borehole, the company places its small modular reactor (which produces 15 MW of thermal power or 5 MW of electric power) one mile underground. At that depth, reactors are positioned well below the water table and "encased in billions of tons of stable bedrock," which means that they "pose little proliferation or public health risk," says Muller. Deep Fission argues that this "may eliminate the need for costly concrete and steel surface containment buildings," allowing its reactors to produce more affordable electricity. However, before it can get up and running with this technology, Deep Fission will have to pay a steep fee—more than $5 million for larger reactors—to obtain an operating license. Since no small modular reactors are in operation yet (due in large part to stringent regulations), the NRC has not assigned an annual operating fee for these reactors. Last Energy, one of the original plaintiffs of the lawsuit, has had to focus on developing its business overseas because of the utilization rule and others like it. Despite being based in Washington, D.C., the company has public plans for only one project on U.S. soil, which it announced in February. The Utilization Facility Rule is just one of the many onerous regulations that have held back American nuclear power development. The increased state and private sector opposition to the regulation could hopefully make it a relic of the past. The post Why Nuclear Energy Developers Are Suing Federal Regulators appeared first on
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why We're Suing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission—and Still Believe in Nuclear Regulation
At Deep Fission, we're taking a radically different approach to nuclear energy: smaller, safer, faster to deploy—and located a mile underground. By placing reactors deep beneath the Earth's surface, we use the natural containment of billions of tons of bedrock to dramatically improve safety and cut costs. COMMENTARY Liz Muller, CEO and co-founder of Deep Fission We believe in regulation. We also believe in common sense. That's why we've joined the states of Utah, Texas, Florida, Louisiana, the Arizona State Legislature, and fellow reactor developers Last Energy and Valar Atomics in a federal lawsuit aimed at modernizing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) outdated licensing regime. This isn't about avoiding oversight. It's about unlocking the energy the country urgently needs—and removing the regulatory barriers that are stopping us from doing it. We are entering a new era of energy demand, and it's happening now. Data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), re-industrialization, and large-scale electrification are all converging to push our grid to its limits. According to recent estimates, U.S. electricity demand could rise as much in the next 15 years as it did in the previous 50. We are simply not prepared for that. Despite over a decade of serious investment in advanced nuclear, not a single advanced reactor is commercially operating in the U.S. The only new plant to come online recently—Plant Vogtle's Units 3 and 4—took 15 years and cost more than $35 billion, far more than originally projected. While it's an achievement in its own right, that pace and price point are nowhere near what we need to meet this moment. Meanwhile, today's regulatory process all but guarantees more of the same. Even with planned fee reductions, the NRC's system remains slow, expensive, and ill-suited for the new generation of safe, modular reactors designed to be simpler and faster to deploy. Let me be clear: the NRC is the gold standard for nuclear safety. We fully support its mission, and we intend to meet and exceed its standards. But when the process itself becomes the bottleneck—when it takes longer to license a safe, next-gen reactor than it does to build a factory or develop a whole new technology platform—then something's broken. And it's not just a bureaucratic problem. It's a national security problem. We're facing a choice: build the energy infrastructure this country needs—or fall behind. Here's the deeper issue: the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 was written with nuance. It said that a federal license is only required for nuclear facilities that pose a risk to public health or national security. That's a reasonable threshold. But since 1956, the NRC has applied that requirement to every reactor—regardless of scale, design, or risk profile. That blanket approach no longer makes sense. At Deep Fission, our underground reactors are fundamentally different. By design, they eliminate many of the traditional risks associated with nuclear power. We're not asking for an exemption from safety—we're asking for a modern framework that recognizes technological progress and allows low-risk systems to move through the process with appropriate speed and scrutiny. Other countries are moving fast. We can too. If the U.S. wants to remain competitive—if we want to power AI, industry, and a low-carbon future—we need to get serious about deployment. That means making the hard choices, fixing the broken systems, and rethinking how we regulate in a way that preserves safety and supports innovation. We don't have another decade to wait. We filed this lawsuit because we believe in nuclear power—and because we believe the United States can still lead. We believe the original intent of the law had it right. And we believe that with a smarter, more adaptive approach to regulation, we can meet this moment with clean, safe, affordable energy that's ready to scale. Let's modernize the system. Let's build the future. — is CEO and co-founder of Deep Fission.
