Proof-of-concept borehole test shows 20-foot reactor can be lowered and retrieved in Florida

An empty 20-foot, 30-inch-diameter reactor canister was lowered 100 feet into a 34-inch borehole in Fort Myers and retrieved, with about 2 inches of clearance per side. The test, conducted using a local drilling contractor’s rig (Youngquist Brothers), demonstrates handling for Deep Fission’s borehole reactor concept. The full-scale mile-deep reactor remains planned for Parsons, Kansas under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program, with ongoing collaboration to refine borehole drilling methods and move toward potential commercialization by 2027.