United States-based Deep Fission has announced that Parsons in Kansas will be the site for its full-scale commercial small nuclear reactor.
The company has selected Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, Kansas, as the site for its advanced reactor pilot project, as per the announcement made on Thursday.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the small modular pressurized water reactor in boreholes one mile underground will be held on December 9. This marks a significant leap for Deep Fission’s first demonstration of the Gravity Nuclear Reactor.
The company is participating in the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program, an initiative designed to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies through a streamlined regulatory pathway under the Atomic Energy Act.
Deep Fission’s nuclear reactor to be built in Kansas
The company will hold the groundbreaking ceremony on December 9 and hopes to complete construction and achieve criticality by July 4, 2026. The plan is dependent on DOE authorization.
The Great Plains Industrial Park is located on more than 14,000 acres in Labette County, Kansas. The swathe of land offers Deep Fission a chance to scale onsite, as per the requirement, in the years ahead.
The company’s press release says that it has signed a letter of intent with the Great Plains Development Authority. The letter of intent outlines collaboration on the pilot and the parties’ intention to develop a full-scale commercial project at the same site.
“This pilot is an exciting first step toward an energy-abundant America,” said Liz Muller, Co-Founder and CEO of Deep Fission. “We’re proud to partner with the Great Plains Industrial Park and southeast Kansas to show what’s possible with next-generation nuclear.”
He further stated that the Gravity reactor is designed to deliver safer, faster, and dramatically cheaper energy. “We’re grateful to the Administration for the opportunity to move from vision to reality through the program.”
Just a day prior to this, the company had announced the execution of an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the US Department of Energy (DOE) to build and operate a test reactor as part of President Trump’s Reactor Pilot Program.
Gravity small modular reactor
The technology used by Deep Fission combines standard oil and gas borehole drilling, geothermal technology, and a pressurized water reactor (PWR) to make a small modular reactor that can be placed in an optimized borehole, one mile underground.
Each Gravity reactor can generate 15 megawatts (electric). The small size allows placing multiple units in the same location to increase power output.
The nuclear reactor uses a pressurized water reactor design for its fuel assemblies and power control methods. It operates at the same 599 °F (315°C) core temperature, and hydrostatic pressure from a one-mile-deep column of water provides the same 160 atm of reliable pressure.
The reactor uses the low-enriched uranium (LEU) fuel. Further, the company says that the underground placement adds an extra layer of safety and eliminates the need for massive above-ground structures to contain and cool the reactor. It also reduces the construction costs and makes cleaner energy possible at a lower cost per megawatt-hour.
