As climate change becomes an ever-greater concern, it’s easy to point to nuclear energy as the answer. However, to have access to reliable nuclear energy, companies and nations need a reliable (and safe) way to enrich uranium on a large scale. LIS Technologies believes it has developed a promising laser enrichment process, but it is a hotly debated subject. Can this new process stand up to scrutiny and regulatory demands?
The History and Evolution of CRISLA Technology
LIS Technologies cofounders Dr. Jeff Eerkens and Christo Liebenberg will be the first to tell you that the company’s technology isn’t new. Experts are now refining and making it more efficient, but it remains rooted in history.
Eerkens is the inventor of the Condensation Repression Isotope Separation by Laser Activation (CRISLA) enrichment process, which was researched in the US before the country switched to cheap Russian importsCRISLA is the only laser enrichment process whose patent originated in the United States. “The U.S. used to be the world’s biggest producer of enriched uranium,” says Liebenberg. “Our own CRISLA technology showed great potential when we decided we could just buy enriched uranium on the international market. So that’s why CRISLA was stopped in 1993.”
Overcoming Scalability Challenges in Laser Enrichment
Those familiar with other types of laser enrichment often point to scalability concerns when arguing against this method of uranium enrichment. However, Eerkens and Liebenberg, a lifelong laser scientist who have followed CRISLA since its inception, believe their collaboration has yielded a highly efficient process that may overcome the scaling barriers plaguing competitive laser enrichment methods.
Their enrichment process relies on shorter wavelengths. It selectively excites specific vibrational modes of 235UF6 (the target isotope for uranium enrichment) and can be optimized for the production of low-enriched uranium (LEU) or high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).
LIS Technologies’ enrichment process happens over three key steps. First, a flow-cooling process prepares uranium hexafluoride (UF6) for selective excitation. In the next step a laser is used that is tuned to the natural vibrational frequency of 235UF6, and finallythe excited 235UF6 is harvested and efficiently separated from 238UF6.
Ensuring Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Many people understandably fear nuclear energy due to the health hazards of nuclear waste and the risk of bad actors using atomic technology to create nuclear weapons. However, LIS Technologies, like any other nuclear-focused company in the United States, has had to clear significant regulatory hurdles to get to where it is today, a process which is ongoing.
“The NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is the watchdog over nuclear safety,” says Liebenberg. “That’s why it takes so long, like seven years or so, because of the integrated safety analysis and environmental reports. There are a lot of safety-related items that you have to have in place before the NRC will grant you a license. You need a license from the NRC to start anything — even just to do experiments.” We have just started this process.
Government Backing and the Future of Nuclear Energy
However, one major development might convince naysayers whether they question the efficacy or safety of laser enrichment. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it had awarded several contracts under its Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program.
The Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program is an initiative intended to improve the nation’s energy security and facilitate the development of nuclear energy. LIS Technologies is one of six companies selected to supply LEU to the U.S. The country has invested a total of $3.4 billion into the project over 10 years.
The initiative is still in its infancy, and many Americans are ambivalent about nuclear energy. Even so, Liebenberg notes that nuclear power can address multiple facets of the country’s energy crisis at once, including rising demand, environmental impact, and national security.
Why Nuclear Energy Matters Now More Than Ever
“Right now, the U.S. has a capacity of 100 gigawatts,” says Liebenberg. “The COP28 target is that by 2050, we need to increase our capacity by 3x, which in turn places an even bigger challenge (5-10x) on the front-end nuclear fuel supply chain if we want to truly be self-sufficient and not depend on imported fuel. It’s literally an all-hands-on-deck approach”.
“The energy demand is just huge, especially with AI centers and data centers.”
“On top of that, we can’t depend any longer on Russia for our energy imports. That’s a security issue,” he continues. “There’s also climate change. We want to produce new energy that’s clean and get that online so we can combat global warming.”
Nuclear energy is gaining momentum partly thanks to the new government backing, and LIS Technologies is at the forefront.
“There are all these reasons why there’s a huge resurrection of nuclear power,” says Liebenberg. “We are in the middle of a second nuclear age.”
Rashan is a seasoned technology journalist and visionary leader serving as the Editor-in-Chief of DevX.com, a leading online publication focused on software development, programming languages, and emerging technologies. With his deep expertise in the tech industry and her passion for empowering developers, Rashan has transformed DevX.com into a vibrant hub of knowledge and innovation. Reach out to Rashan at [email protected]
