Deep Fission announced a partnership with Youngquist Brothers to develop drilling and construction methods for one-mile-deep nuclear reactor boreholes. The collaboration aims to tackle a fundamental engineering challenge: creating boreholes wide and deep enough to accommodate underground nuclear reactor systems. Youngquist, a commercial drilling contractor operating since 1971, brings decades of large-diameter borehole experience to the project, having previously drilled to depths exceeding 8,000 feet.
Deep Fission’s Gravity Nuclear Reactor uses established pressurized water reactor technology with standard low-enriched uranium fuel. The company places reactors approximately one mile underground in water-filled boreholes, where surrounding rock and water provide containment and cooling functions. This deployment model requires drilling capabilities beyond current commercial applications, making the Youngquist partnership critical to project viability.
The companies already demonstrated part of their approach in September. Deep Fission and Youngquist lowered a 30-inch full-size prototype reactor canister into a 34-inch borehole near Fort Myers, Florida, reaching approximately 100 feet depth before retrieval. This demonstration validated installation and retrieval mechanics but did not test full-depth drilling required for actual deployment.
Deep Fission CEO Liz Muller emphasized that partnering with an experienced commercial driller accelerates development compared to building borehole technology from scratch. Youngquist CEO Harvey Youngquist confirmed that adapting commercial drilling discipline to nuclear applications represents a natural extension of their existing expertise and operational methods.
“Youngquist brings decades of hands-on drilling experience that maps directly onto what our deployment model requires,” said Liz Muller, CEO and Co-Founder of Deep Fission. “Working with an established commercial driller lets us advance the drilling side of our approach using equipment and expertise that already exist in the field, rather than starting from scratch.”
“Large-diameter drilling to these depths is a method we’ve refined since 1971,” said Harvey Youngquist, CEO of Youngquist Brothers. “What Deep Fission requires for its nuclear application is the same discipline we’ve always applied. We’re glad to bring that experience to a project of this scale and in this unique application.”
The startup targets commercial reactor deployment as early as 2027 and is advancing its first project in Parsons, Kansas. The Department of Energy selected Deep Fission for its Reactor Pilot Program, validating the company’s technical approach and market potential. This new drilling partnership represents a significant step toward proving that safe, scalable underground reactor placement is commercially viable and deployable within the decade.
