Fermi Energy and US company for geological disposal of radioactive materials and nuclear waste deep isolation started working together to assess the suitability of the Estonian geology for the use of deep-hole sinkhole technology. Deep Isolation is working with a mining consultancy and engineering company in Estonia. Steiger and the results of the study will be published in 2021.
"The technology developed by Deep Isolation, where radioactive waste is placed in special capsules about 1 km underground in crystalline bedrock, may be the most suitable solution for Estonia for the final disposal of radioactive waste from the Paldiski nuclear power plant and, in the future, also for the final disposal of spent fuel from a small modular reactor. This technology will use the existing directional drilling technology already in use, for example in the oil industry," explained Kalev Kallemets, Member of the Board of Fermi Energia.
The Deep Isolation study will provide a preliminary assessment of both the safety of radioactive material stored one kilometre below the surface and the cost of such a disposal solution. Compared to, for example, Finland, which is building a large-scale nuclear waste storage 400m deep in granite rock, Deep Isolation is expected to offer a more suitable solution for countries with relatively low radioactive waste generation.