Horizontal drillhole disposal

This system consists of a drilllhole which is bored from a rig on the surface into a suitable isolated sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic host rock.

Drilling is imposed vertically to a depth as much as 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) and then gradually changes direction by 90 degrees to the horizontal section where the waste is destined to be disposed.

The University of Sheffield engineers say that a borehole could be drilled, filled and sealed in no more than five years, in contrast to the decades required for a mined repository.

[10] Due to public opposition to the first experimental borehole, in late 2016 the Department of Energy announced a second project which would have involved four sites; two in New Mexico, one in Texas and one in South Dakota.

The early stages of the project required gaining public support before the Department of Energy would have selected a final site for an experimental borehole.