A grant agreement with the Bulgarian government for a feasibility study to support the safe underground disposal of spent fuel from the country's nuclear power plants has been signed by US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Director Enoh T. Ebong. As part of the programme, California-based Deep Isolation will carry out and cost-share the study, which will focus on its pioneering deep borehole technology.

I am delighted that SERAW has contracted Deep Isolation to undertake a feasibility study

"Bulgaria is prioritising safety measures that will allow it to expand its nuclear power generation capacity," Ebong said. "Using cutting-edge US technology to create a safe long-term disposal option for spent fuel can also open the door to additional plants being built. USTDA's support for this project is a continuation of our longstanding engagement with the country's nuclear energy sector."

The USTDA-funded study will evaluate the feasibility of disposing spent fuel from existing and future power plants inside boreholes that are located a kilometre or more below ground. The project follows on a decades-long history of USTDA support for nuclear energy in Bulgaria, including studies in the 1990s that led to the deployment of US technologies that strengthened the reliability and safety of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant.

Sergey Tzochev, Head of the Board of Directors for State Enterprise Radioactive Waste (SERAW), signed the grant agreement on behalf of the Bulgarian government and said: "Partnering with Deep Isolation represents a step toward our long-term vision of exploring innovative and sustainable approaches for the safe management of radioactive waste, based on the latest advancements in science and technology."

"I am delighted that SERAW has contracted Deep Isolation to undertake a feasibility study on the use of our unique patented solution for deep borehole disposal to deliver safe, permanent disposal of the current and anticipated inventory of radioactive waste for geologic disposal in Bulgaria," Rod Baltzer, CEO of Deep Isolation, added. "I am grateful to the US Trade and Development Agency for the financial support it has offered to this initiative, in recognition of the high-value jobs and export opportunities that deep borehole disposal will create for our US supply chain."

USTDA's assistance advances the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019, which prioritises assistance to develop energy infrastructure in Europe and Eurasia, and the 2024 U.S.-Bulgaria Intergovernmental Agreement outlining cooperation on the development of Bulgaria's civil nuclear power programme.