Lasers could help provide fuel for nuclear reactors
6 hours ago
- Laser enrichment technology could reprocess uranium waste from a closed facility in Paducah, Kentucky, into usable nuclear fuel.
- Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) is developing this technology, which could be more efficient than conventional centrifuge methods.
- Geopolitical shifts, including reduced reliance on Russian uranium due to the Ukraine war, are boosting interest in new enrichment technologies.
- LIS Technologies is another company building laser enrichment capacity in the US, aiming to produce fuel for current and next-generation reactors.
- GLE plans to start with reprocessing old waste to 0.7% U-235 concentration, while LIS targets 5% U-235 for reactor fuel.
- Laser enrichment uses precise lasers to selectively excite uranium-235, making it easier to separate from uranium-238.
- Commercial-scale demonstration is underway, with regulatory approval expected by 2027 and operations planned by 2030.
- The technology could offer lower upfront investment and operating costs compared to centrifuge plants, though actual costs are unproven at scale.