DBHL 8-K
Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. (DBHL)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
| (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant
has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant
to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure
On April 7, 2026, Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that the Company was selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (“ARPA-E”) SCALEUP Ready program to support the commercial deployment of the Company’s Universal Canister System for integrated nuclear waste management. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
The information contained in this Item 7.01 and in the accompanying Exhibit 99.1 are being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, unless expressly incorporated by reference in such filing.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in the press release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. See the information set forth under the caption “Forward-Looking Statements” in the press release, which is incorporated herein by reference. Selection for award negotiations under the SCALEUP Ready program is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time. A contract, if awarded, will be on a “cost plus” reimbursement basis. There can be no assurance that the Company will successfully negotiate a contract with DOE, or if a contract is signed, what the amount of funding provided will be, or that the Company will successfully complete the deliverables under the contract to earn revenues thereunder.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| Exhibit Number |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated April 7, 2026 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
1
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| DEEP ISOLATION NUCLEAR, INC. | ||
| Date: April 8, 2026 | By: | /s/ Rodney Baltzer |
| Rodney Baltzer | ||
| President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
2
Exhibit 99.1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Deep Isolation Nuclear Selected for ARPA-E SCALEUP Award to Advance Universal Canister System and Deep Borehole Disposal
SCALEUP award supports Cameron, Texas Commercial Pilot to demonstrate and scale permanent nuclear waste solution for commercial deployment
BERKELEY, CA, April 7, 2026 – Deep Isolation Nuclear, Inc. (“Deep Isolation” or the “Company”), a leading innovator in nuclear waste disposal technology, today announced it was selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E SCALEUP Ready program, supporting the commercial deployment of its Universal Canister System (UCS) for integrated nuclear waste management. SCALEUP Ready is ARPA-E’s latest initiative to accelerate technologies toward market adoption and committed up to $40 million to support two projects, including the Deep Isolation project. Read more: ARPA-E Announcement.
The SCALEUP program bridges the gap between pilot-scale demonstration and full commercial deployment, providing funding and support to validate first-of-a-kind energy technologies. For Deep Isolation, the award would enable full-scale field testing of the UCS, including regulatory validation and demonstration of deep borehole disposal using a nonradioactive Commercial Pilot in Cameron, Texas.
The project brings together a world-class project team, including Westinghouse, NAC International (TYO: 7004), Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), Occlusion Nuclear Solutions, Amentum (NYSE: AMTM), and the Deep Borehole Demonstration Center (“the DBDC”), to demonstrate a fully integrated and permanent solution for advanced reactor and nuclear recycling waste. Westinghouse will serve as the launch customer, working with Deep Isolation and its supply chain partners to secure certification from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to enable the UCS to store and transport spent fuel from its eVinci™ microreactor. Halliburton will lead borehole construction, Occlusion will manage subsurface operations, NAC will lead UCS fabrication, surface operations, and licensing, and Amentum will oversee operational safety and quality assurance, ensuring the system is ready for commercial deployment.
“Being selected for this award is the single biggest milestone in Deep Isolation’s history,” said Rod Baltzer, President and CEO at Deep Isolation. “It validates years of pioneering work on the Universal Canister System and positions us to deliver the world’s first full-scale, end-to-end, commercial-ready deep borehole disposal solution. We are creating a deployable, regulatory-approved system that will transform how the world manages nuclear waste safely, efficiently, and permanently.”
“The integration of UCS with our eVinci™ microreactor technology provides a comprehensive solution for managing spent nuclear fuel through its entire lifecycle,” said Dr. Lou Martinez Sancho, Westinghouse Chief Technology Officer. “This partnership showcases the impact of innovation, where we are merging our next-generation nuclear technology with a reliable, economical and adaptable method for handling nuclear waste. The Commercial Pilot will generate valuable insights which will set the stage for wider adoption and global confidence in advanced nuclear solutions.”
“Deep boreholes have long been considered a promising solution for spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste disposal. Amentum is excited to work with Deep Isolation and its collaborators to move this concept toward commercialization and turn it into a practical reality.” said Mark Whitney, President Energy & Environment at Amentum.
The UCS SCALEUP project advances critical national priorities, supporting Executive Order 14302, which directs the Department of Energy to strengthen U.S. nuclear energy leadership and develop permanent solutions for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste. The project directly aligns with ARPA-E’s mission to improve radioactive waste management and maintain U.S. technological leadership in advanced energy technologies.
About Deep Isolation
Deep Isolation is the first company to undertake development of technologies for nuclear waste disposal in deep boreholes. When commercialized, Deep Isolation’s solution will offer a uniquely tailored approach to help countries identify, plan for, and complete the necessary steps to dispose of their nuclear waste inventories. With 99 patents issued to date, the technology leverages proven drilling practices to safely isolate waste deep underground in horizontal, vertical, or slanted borehole repositories. Deep Isolation’s Universal Canister System was developed through a three-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy and is engineered to support integrated management of spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste from legacy and advanced reactors across storage, transportation, and eventual disposal.
Media Contact:
Sophie McCallum
[email protected]
Investor Contact:
Caldwell Bailey
[email protected]
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our plans, objectives and expectations for our business, the future growth of our business and the nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal industries as a whole, and future benefits expected to arise from our strategic partnerships. In certain cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words and phrases or variations of words and phrases or statements such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “continue” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s belief and assumptions, including current expectations and projections about future events and trends, and on information currently available to management.
2
Forward-looking statements in this or any other news release are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties, and assumptions are subject to a number of factors, including, among others: the failure of a market to develop for our deep borehole disposal solutions as quickly as we expect or at all; a failure of demand for our solution to develop sufficiently; regulatory and legal developments, including issues relating to obtaining regulatory approvals or permissions on the timelines we expect or at all; our lack of profitability; delays or failure in our initiative to complete a full-scale, at-depth demonstration of our Universal Canister System and our deep borehole solution; our failure to enter into contracts with customers or, once we do enter into contracts, to continue such contractual relationships or to receive new contract awards; our dependency on governmental contracts and awards; our failure to manage our growth effectively or to execute our business plan; a failure to sustain and expand relationships with governmental entities and strategic partners; failure in the assumptions or analyses we have used in supporting forecasts or plans; our inability to commercialize our products at scale; the development or deployment of other technologies or solutions supplanting or competing with our technologies; challenges to our intellectual property; failures to protect, maintain, enforce, and enhance our intellectual property, and claims by others of intellectual property infringement; political and public perceptions of nuclear energy, including perceptions as to accidents or other high-profile events involving nuclear power facilities or radioactive materials; our liquidity and ability to raise capital; any inability to control operating and project costs and project delays or other project-related problems; security (including cybersecurity) breaches or disruptions; geopolitical, macroeconomic, domestic events or crises, including supply chain disruptions and other risks and uncertainties outside of our control; weather and effects of climate change; and litigation or legal proceedings that may be brought against us.
The foregoing is not an exhaustive list of all the factors that may cause any forward-looking statements to prove inaccurate or our actual results to differ materially from our expectations and forecasts. Moreover, we operate in a highly regulated environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements, and we cannot guarantee future results, performance, or achievements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this release or to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations, except as required by law.
Additional information concerning the factors above and other factors will be found in the Company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including the sections titled “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 filed with the SEC on November 14, 2025, our Form S-1, originally filed August 18, 2025 and subsequently amended, and in filings with the SEC that will be made in the future. The Company’s SEC filings are available free of charge at www.sec.gov or upon written request to Deep Isolation Nuclear at [email protected].
3