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]