How lasers could help provide fuel for nuclear reactors

[Marlin]

How lasers could help provide fuel for nuclear reactors

https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/27/1140798/laser-nuclear-enrichment/

[Core Content]

Global Laser Enrichment is pursuing a new enrichment process to reprocess depleted uranium tails at the Paducah, Kentucky site. The company plans to use laser technology to increase the concentration of uranium-235 in stored waste material, effectively creating a new supply of feedstock for the nuclear fuel cycle.

This technology aims to reduce reliance on conventional centrifuge methods and diversify the global fuel supply chain. By tapping into existing stockpiles and potentially supporting next-generation reactor fuels, these efforts address concerns regarding fuel security and market dominance by foreign suppliers. The commercial viability of these laser-based systems remains subject to upcoming regulatory approvals and large-scale operational testing.

Companies are developing new enrichment technology that could unlock previously overlooked resources.

Outside the small town of Paducah, Kentucky, a wealth of uranium is locked away in thousands of storage cylinders filled with waste material from a now-closed nuclear enrichment facility. Lasers could help get it out.

A company called Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) is looking to reprocess this old material with a new technology called laser enrichment. It could be more efficient than conventional enrichment methods, allowing the company to refresh the material and produce feedstock at the same concentration as a natural mined source. And in the future, the company claims, laser enrichment could be used to make material for nuclear fuel, including the kind used in advanced reactors.

Read the full article at MIT Technology Review:
https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/07/27/1140798/laser-nuclear-enrichment/