Deep Fission’s 'Gravity' reactor uses water columns to create the 160 atmospheres of pressure needed for power.
Deep Fission, a California-based nuclear startup, has officially moved from concept to construction. The company recently announced that it has begun drilling the first of three data acquisition wells for its innovative underground nuclear pilot project.
The drilling marks a significant milestone for the “Gravity” reactor, which is a 15-megawatt small modular reactor designed to operate a mile beneath the Earth’s surface.Turning the first bitThe first well at the Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, Kansas is being drilled to a depth of approximately 6,000 feet with a diameter of eight inches. This initial phase follows the successful completion of the drilling pad and is designed to gather critical geological, hydrological, and thermal data.“Drilling our first borehole is a major step forward,” said Liz Muller, CEO and Co-Founder of Deep Fission. “It represents the shift from concept to construction and begins the process of demonstrating a fundamentally new approach to nuclear energy deployment.”Eliminating need for massive structuresThe startup’s proprietary design eliminates the need for massive surface containment structures by leveraging the Earth’s natural geology. By placing the reactor at the bottom of a deep borehole, the design achieves two major engineering breakthroughs. At a depth of one mile, the column of water above the reactor naturally provides the 160 atmospheres of pressure required for operation. This automatically removes the need for expensive surface pressure vessels. In addition to this, the surrounding bedrock provides billions of tons of natural shielding and containment. This, in turn, significantly reduces the project’s surface footprint and enhances security.“Each Gravity Reactor is installed one mile underground, where surrounding geology provides passive shielding and natural containment, reducing the need for above-ground megastructures,” explained the company.Fueling and financing the projectThe drilling campaign is the latest in a string of rapid developments for the company. Deep Fission recently signed a pivotal agreement with Urenco USA to purchase low-enriched uranium from their Eunice, New Mexico facility, which will power the testing and demonstration phases. The project is further supported by $80 million in new financing intended to scale production for AI-driven data centers and US electricity grids.The modular nature of the system allows for significant scalability. While a single borehole produces 15 MWe, the company notes that 100 reactors co-located on a single site could produce 1.5 GWe—enough to power large-scale industrial hubs or massive data center complexes—while requiring only a fraction of the land used by traditional surface plants.The project is part of the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program, which aims to see advanced reactors achieve criticality by July 4, 2026. Plus, Deep Fission estimates its approach can slash nuclear plant construction costs by up to 80 percent.“By leveraging established supply chains and techniques, Deep Fission estimates this approach can reduce construction costs by approximately 70–80 percent compared to traditional nuclear plants,” Deep Fission highlighted.The three-well program will provide the subsurface data necessary to inform final engineering designs and regulatory planning as Deep Fission moves toward full commercialization.
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