US LIS Technologies Initiates Site Preparation for Oak Ridge Laser Uranium Enrichment Project

LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) announced on August 20 that it has initiated preliminary site preparation work on the "LIST Island" parcel at the Heritage Center of the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The 206-acre parcel is located within the former K-25 gaseous diffusion plant site.

This phase of work includes environmental characterization, environmental assessment, and technical feasibility studies tailored to site conditions. These efforts will provide the preliminary basis for the company's planned commercial laser uranium enrichment headquarters and technology campus, LEU-3. Under current plans, the LEU-3 facility will host the company's FUEL project, namely the "Future Uranium Enrichment by Laser" project, and support its long-term operations and research and development arrangements.

Jay Yu, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LIS Technologies, stated that the company is advancing the rebuilding of U.S. uranium enrichment capabilities, with related work to commence at the Oak Ridge LEU-3 facility and the FUEL project.

The company stated that the ongoing environmental, safety, and technical reviews will inform subsequent decision-making for its previously announced $1.38 billion regional redevelopment investment. LIST Island is expected to become the site of LEU-3, the first domestic commercial laser uranium enrichment facility in the United States, which is intended to serve U.S. utility companies, next-generation reactor developers, and related defense needs, while supporting the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.

According to company plans, the LEU-3 facility is expected to begin construction and enter initial commercial operation in the early 2030s to address growing domestic demand for uranium enrichment.

Christo Liebenberg, President and Co-Founder of LIS Technologies, stated that LIST Island is currently largely undeveloped except for road access, and the company's goal is to build an integrated domestic nuclear fuel production capability covering stages from uranium enrichment to deconversion, providing fuel support for existing nuclear power plants and next-generation advanced reactors.

Julie Olivier, Director of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs at LIS Technologies, stated that the company is advancing environmental characterization of LIST Island to support the submission of environmental impact report materials to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The company expects to complete data collection in the coming months and plans to submit the environmental report to the NRC around 2027.

LIS Technologies is a U.S.-headquartered developer of laser isotope separation technology that utilizes infrared lasers to selectively excite target isotope molecules to achieve isotope separation. The company states that this technology can be used to produce low-enriched uranium for existing civilian nuclear power plants, high-assay low-enriched uranium for next-generation small modular reactors and microreactors, as well as stable isotopes for medical and scientific research, and manufacturing applications related to semiconductors and quantum computing.