TRISO SPENT FUEL | FUEL & FUEL CYCLE


● Importantly, the assessments verified that UCS-loaded TRISO waste meets long-term safety criteria in deep geologic disposal environments.


Impact of the UCS Project PUCK concluded with a validated demonstration that the UCS is both a technically sound and commercially promising solution for advanced reactor waste. The project showed that the UCS is fully compatible with the unique characteristics of TRISO, particularly its heat generation profile and radiological properties. Safety was demonstrated through rigorous analysis that modelled performance across multiple disposal environments, offering strong validation. Also important were the economic insights. The project confirmed that integrated planning of waste packaging, transportation, and disposal – enabled by the UCS – can yield meaningful cost savings. This includes clear cost benefits for co-locating waste repositories with generating facilities, and the potential to further optimise costs through strategic canister design refinements. Another significant outcome is the UCS’s compatibility


with already licensed storage and transport systems. This interoperability positions the UCS for immediate use, avoiding delays that typically arise with regulatory uncertainty or incompatibility. As a next step, Deep Isolation and its partners are working


to advance the UCS from technical validation to full-scale demonstration. Plans are underway for an end-to-end system demonstration, featuring emplacement and retrieval of multiple UCS canisters in a prototypic deep borehole environment, with full surface handling equipment and operations. This effort will be conducted in collaboration with the multi-national, non-profit Deep Borehole Demonstration Center and other strategic partners, with the goal of showcasing the full readiness of the disposal technology and building public and regulatory confidence. By simulating real-world operational conditions, this will bridge the gap


between design validation and commercial deployment, further strengthening the case for the UCS as an integrated back-end solution for advanced reactors. Taken together, these outcomes show the UCS can play a


foundational role in supporting the safe commercialisation of next-generation reactors, while reinforcing public and regulatory confidence in nuclear energy as a credible and sustainable component of the future energy mix.


Toward scalable, integrated solutions Although Project PUCK focused on TRISO fuel from a single vendor, the implications are much broader. The UCS is inherently designed with versatility in mind, making it well-suited to scale across a diverse set of advanced reactor designs. Moreover, early integration of disposal considerations into reactor planning offers tangible benefits. Aligning facility designs with waste handling, canister loading, transport, and disposal logistics from the outset enables more cost-effective, sustainable deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies. By accommodating diverse waste forms and repository types, the UCS supports a portfolio-based strategy that adapts to regional geology, community preferences, and reactor deployment scenarios. As the world races to deploy next-generation reactors,


effective waste solutions are not optional – they are essential for licensing, public trust, and commercial viability. Project PUCK shows that disposal pathways for advanced fuels like TRISO are not only technically viable, but economically rational. By building waste readiness into the framework of reactor deployment, the UCS offers a scalable route to long term waste security. This is more than an engineering breakthrough. With


nuclear waste now recognised as a national strategic priority by the White House, the UCS is poised to anchor a new generation of disposal solutions to keep pace with the AI era and beyond. ■


www.neimagazine.com | July 2025 | 19


Above: Deep Isolation’s prototype canister


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