Laser enrichment firms target uranium waste to fill supply gaps
Companies are developing laser-based methods to reprocess uranium waste and produce nuclear fuel, aiming to reduce reliance on Russian imports and lower energy costs.
Companies including Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) and LIS Technologies are advancing laser-based uranium enrichment methods as a viable alternative to conventional centrifuge technology. GLE has secured a contract with the US Department of Energy to reprocess uranium waste at a former enrichment facility in Paducah, Kentucky, with operations targeted to commence by 2030. The technology seeks to extract usable fuel from waste material containing low concentrations of uranium-235, effectively creating an "aboveground uranium mine" to mitigate supply gaps resulting from geopolitical tensions surrounding Russian uranium imports.
LIS Technologies, established in 2023, is similarly pursuing commercial production at a site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The company has purchased a 200-acre site and is in the pre-application process with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to produce roughly 5% uranium-235 fuel. While GLE focuses on rehabilitating old waste to create feedstock, LIS Technologies plans to take in natural-grade uranium and produce material suitable for current reactors, with hopes to eventually produce more concentrated fuel for next-generation designs.
GLE’s approach involves enriching waste material containing at least 0.25% uranium-235 to approximately 0.7%, a concentration comparable to natural mined sources. The company claims its laser enrichment process requires fewer units—fewer than 1,000 compared to the thousands needed for centrifuge plants—potentially reducing upfront investment and operating costs due to lower energy consumption. GLE completed a pilot demonstration in fall 2025, processing several hundred kilograms of uranium, and is currently preparing a new commercial-scale demonstration at its Wilmington, North Carolina, site.
The renewed interest in laser enrichment stems from both technological improvements and geopolitical shifts. Charles Forsberg, a principal research scientist at MIT, notes that while lasers have been researched for decades, recent advancements in stability have made the technology more attractive. Furthermore, since the start of the Ukraine war, countries including the US and UK have taken steps to limit or ban imports of Russian uranium, opening the door for new domestic enrichment operations to address growing supply gaps.
Regulatory milestones for GLE include a final safety evaluation due in November and expected approval in 2027 for its Paducah facility. While proponents argue that laser enrichment offers a cheaper and more efficient path to nuclear fuel, experts caution that the technology remains unproven at full commercial scale. As global demand for nuclear power increases, these alternative methods could play a role in smoothing out short-term supply disruptions and price spikes.
