08/28/2026
Groundwater protection isn't an afterthought. It's engineered into our design from the start.
Our planned boreholes are designed with multiple engineered barriers, including steel casing and concrete, which add strength and uniformity to the borehole walls and support the long-term stability of the reactor canister within it.
Construction follows a two-step sequence common to the drilling industry: a metal casing goes in first to add strength and keep the borehole walls uniform, then concrete is forced up from the bottom of the hole, surrounding the casing on the sides and bottom. Running the length of the borehole, this casing is designed to separate the interior of the well from the surrounding rock, so nothing inside comes into direct contact with the geological formations or any groundwater it passes through.
This layered casing approach uses the same standard casing technology used in approximately four million existing boreholes in the U.S.
One mile underground, a reactor canister engineered with corrosion-resistant materials, together with a heat exchanger, provides a separate layer of protection. The fuel is contained within the reactor canister at the bottom of the borehole. Water in the primary coolant loop circulates in a closed loop: from the canister, up through a connecting pipe, to the heat exchanger, and back down.
At the heat exchanger, only heat crosses over into a separate secondary loop. That secondary loop carries the heat to the surface through a double-walled, insulated pipe, without direct contact with the primary loop or the fuel.
Protection of water resources is further supported through site characterization, engineering analysis, monitoring, environmental review, permitting, regulatory oversight, and compliance with applicable environmental requirements.
