Laser Isotope Separation (LIS) Technologies plans to invest $1.38 million to build a laser uranium enrichment facility at the ETTP Heritage Center.
On Friday, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Deputy Gov. and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter, and LIS Technologies officials announced the investment at a special event held at the William J. Wilcox, Jr. K-25 Interpretive Center.
“Tennessee is leading the nation in advancing American energy independence, which is why innovative companies like LIS Technologies are choosing to do business here,” said Gov. Lee. “By creating the Nuclear Energy Fund, we have uniquely positioned our state at the forefront of cutting-edge research and development, and I look forward to the opportunity this expansion will create for Tennesseans.”
The facility will be located on a tract of land known as Duct Island, which is west of the main plant area. It was named for the numerous electrical ducts that crossed that area to provide power to the main plant area during early operations. Creating approximately 200 jobs, this nuclear-related investment is the third largest since the creation of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Nuclear Energy Fund.
Upon completion, the Oak Ridge facility is intended to become the first U.S.-origin commercial laser uranium enrichment plant in the world, supporting U.S. utilities, next-generation reactor developers, and national defense requirements while helping to reestablish a resilient domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.
The project underscores Oak Ridge’s historic and continuing role in America’s nuclear enterprise and reinforces Tennessee’s position at the forefront of the nation’s efforts to rebuild domestic uranium enrichment capacity critical to U.S. energy and national security, according to a press release issued by the state of Tennessee. It also reinforces how critical UCOR’s cleanup of the ETTP Heritage Center has been to facilitating industrial investments at the site, which is now a hub for nuclear innovation.
LIS Technologies, founded in 2023, is headquartered in the recently renovated K-1330 building at the ETTP Heritage Center. It is the seventh company to locate in Tennessee for its commercial operations utilizing the Nuclear Energy Fund.
The $50 million fund was in Gov. Lee’s recommended 2023-2024 budget and approved by the Tennessee General Assembly. An additional $10 million was allocated and approved in the state’s budget during both the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions, bringing the fund’s total to $70 million since its inception.
