全球激光浓缩公司(GLE)和LIS Technologies等企业正推进激光浓缩技术的商业化，这项技术利用激光精确靶向特定同位素，相比传统离心机方法效率更高、成本更低1。GLE已与美国能源部签订合同，计划在肯塔基州帕迪尤卡处理旧废料，可浓缩多达20万公吨含铀物料1。该公司首席执行官Stephen Long指出，全规模激光浓缩厂需要不到1000个单元，而类似的离心机厂需要数千台离心机1。
激光浓缩技术的工作原理是将铀-235浓度从0.25%提高到约0.7%，相比之下传统核反应堆通常使用约5%浓度的低浓缩铀1。GLE在北卡罗来纳州威尔明顿的测试设施已处理了数百公斤铀，预计2025年秋季完成示范试点1。该公司已申请核管制委员会许可证，最终安全评估应在11月完成，最终批准应在2027年，计划2030年开始处理物料1。
俄乌战争后的地缘政治形势为新型浓缩技术打开了市场大门1。俄罗斯拥有全球最大的铀浓缩生态系统，自乌克兰战争开始以来，美国和英国等国已采取措施限制或禁止俄罗斯铀进口1。LIS Technologies于2023年成立，最近在田纳西州橡岭购买了200英亩地块，同样在开发这一技术1。
Companies including Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) and LIS Technologies are developing laser-based uranium enrichment technology to supply fuel for nuclear reactors.1 The laser approach targets specific isotopes with precision, offering greater efficiency and lower costs compared to traditional centrifuge methods.1 This technology arrives as Western nations have moved to restrict or ban Russian uranium imports following the war in Ukraine, creating market opportunities for alternative enrichment sources.1
GLE has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy to process legacy waste at a facility in Paducah, Kentucky, capable of enriching up to 200,000 metric tons of uranium-containing material.1 The laser enrichment process raises uranium-235 concentration from 0.25 percent to approximately 0.7 percent, though conventional reactors typically use low-enriched uranium containing around 5 percent uranium-235.1 According to GLE Chief Executive Officer Stephen Long, a full-scale laser enrichment plant would require fewer than 1,000 units, whereas an equivalent centrifuge facility would need thousands of machines.1
GLE operates a test facility in Wilmington, North Carolina, and completed processing hundreds of kilograms of uranium in a demonstration pilot that finished in autumn 2025.1 The company's application for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license should receive a final safety assessment in November, with ultimate approval expected in 2027 and material processing set to begin in 2030.1 Separately, LIS Technologies, founded in 2023, recently purchased 200 acres in Oak Ridge, Tennessee for its operations.1 Russia currently operates the world's largest uranium enrichment infrastructure, underscoring the strategic importance of these Western alternatives.1
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