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Laser Breakthrough Promises Cleaner, Safer Nuclear Energy for the U.S.
26 Oct
Summary
- Successful large-scale test of SILEX laser uranium enrichment process
- Potential to re-enrich 200,000+ metric tons of uranium tails annually
- Aim to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign uranium fuel supply chain
As of October 2025, a North Carolina-based company, Global Laser Enrichment (GLE), has achieved a major breakthrough in domestic nuclear fuel production. The company has successfully completed a large-scale test of its groundbreaking SILEX laser uranium enrichment process at its Test Loop facility in Wilmington. This demonstration has produced hundreds of pounds of low-enriched uranium (LEU) and confirmed the technology's ability to operate at a commercial scale.
GLE's success is a significant step toward restoring U.S. control over its nuclear fuel supply, which has long relied on imports. The company's next goal is to open the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Kentucky, the first new enrichment site under Nuclear Regulatory Commission review in decades. Once licensed, this facility could re-enrich more than 200,000 metric tons of uranium tails and generate up to 6 million separative work units of LEU annually.
The SILEX process, developed in partnership with Australia's Silex Systems, uses precisely tuned lasers to selectively separate uranium isotopes, making it far more efficient than the existing gas centrifuge systems. This breakthrough technology is expected to allow the U.S. to end its "dangerous dependency on a fragile, foreign government-owned uranium fuel supply chain," according to GLE's CEO, Stephen Long.
