LIS Technologies Inc. to Invest $1.38 Billion in Oak Ridge, Tennessee Following its Acquisition of $8 Million, 206-Acre Duct Island, Now Rebranded as “LIST Island”
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Jan. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LIS Technologies Inc. (“LIST” or “the Company”), a proprietary developer of advanced laser technology and the only USA-origin and patented laser uranium enrichment company, alongside Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Deputy Gov. and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter, today announced LIST will create 203 jobs and invest $1.38 billion in its future flagship commercial scale laser-based uranium enrichment facility on the historic footprint of the K-25 Uranium Enrichment Site in Oak Ridge. This will be the third largest nuclear-related investment since the creation of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Nuclear Energy Fund.
Following the renaming of the 206-acre Duct Island to LIST Island and its redevelopment to house the Company’s commercial laser-based uranium enrichment headquarters, Oak Ridge, TN is expected to become the site of the world’s first US-origin commercial laser uranium enrichment facility, supporting U.S. utilities, next-generation reactor developers, and national defense requirements while helping to reestablish a resilient domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.
Figure 1 - LIS Technologies Inc. Commercial Laser-based Uranium Enrichment Facility Rendering on Newly Acquired $8 Million Duct Island, Now Rebranded as “LIST Island”
“Selecting Oak Ridge is both a strategic and symbolic decision for LIS Technologies,” said Jay Yu, Executive Chairman and CEO of LIS Technologies. “This community represents the foundation of America’s enrichment capability and the future of its clean energy and national security mission. Our laser enrichment technology fundamentally changes the economics of enrichment, enabling faster deployment, lower capital intensity, and long-term cost advantages. With our NRC licensing process underway, we are moving deliberately toward construction readiness and positioning the United States to lead the world in commercial laser enrichment.”
“Choosing this community for our commercial operations is both strategically and personally meaningful,” said Dr. Jeff Eerkens, Inventor and Co-Founder of LIS Technologies. “As a child, my life was saved during World War II while I was held in a Japanese internment camp in Indonesia. Oak Ridge’s K-25 facility helped produce the enriched uranium that brought the war to an end. Returning to Oak Ridge decades later with a peaceful, commercial laser enrichment technology is a powerful full-circle moment.”
Subject to licensing, permitting, and final investment decisions, the company intends to break ground and begin site preparation and civil construction in 2026. LIST is targeting initial commercial operations before 2030, positioning its laser enrichment facility to meet accelerating demand for domestically sourced uranium enrichment.
Founded in 2023, with its office and laser enrichment research and development headquartered in Oak Ridge in the recently renovated K-1330 building, LIS Technologies is the eighth 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.
“Tennessee continues to lead the nation in advancing American energy independence, which is why innovative companies like LIS Technologies recognize our efforts through projects like this,” said Tennessee Governor Bill Lee. “By creating the Nuclear Energy Fund, we have uniquely positioned our state at the forefront of cutting-edge R&D, and I look forward to the positive impact this project will have for Tennesseans across our state.”
Figure 2 – LIS Technology Inc., the only U.S.-origin and patented technology for laser uranium enrichment, Meets with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee.
“This investment reflects the continued momentum of Tennessee’s nuclear sector and builds on a strong year for nuclear energy in our state,” said Deputy Governor and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter. “LIS Technologies’ nearly $1.4 billion investment is a major win for Tennessee’s, and Oak Ridge is uniquely positioned to support this project’s success. I am grateful to the leadership of LIS Technologies and to our partners in Oak Ridge for helping bring today’s announcement to fruition.”
“This investment represents more than the construction of a single facility,” said Christo Liebenberg, President and Co-Founder of LIS Technologies. “It reflects a commitment to restoring a critical domestic capability, advancing peaceful nuclear technologies, and strengthening the United States’ competitiveness in an evolving global energy landscape. As global demand for nuclear fuel grows and existing supply tightens, the opportunity, and responsibility, to act is clear. This project is a meaningful step toward reestablishing U.S. enrichment capacity and rebuilding the nuclear fuel cycle.”
About LIS Technologies Inc.
LIS Technologies Inc. (LIST) is a USA based, proprietary developer of a patented advanced laser technology, making use of infrared lasers to selectively excite the molecules of desired isotopes to separate them from other isotopes. The Laser Isotope Separation Technology (L.I.S.T) has a huge range of applications, including being the only USA-origin (and patented) laser uranium enrichment company, and several major advantages over traditional methods such as gas diffusion, centrifuges, and prior art laser enrichment. The LIST proprietary laser-based process is more energy-efficient and has the potential to be deployed with highly competitive capital and operational costs. L.I.S.T is optimized for LEU (Low Enriched Uranium) for existing civilian nuclear power plants, High-Assay LEU (HALEU) for the next generation of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Microreactors, the production of stable isotopes for medical and scientific research, and applications in quantum computing manufacturing for semiconductor technologies. The Company employs a world class nuclear technical team working alongside leading nuclear entrepreneurs and industry professionals, possessing strong relationships with government and private nuclear industries.
In Dec 2024, LIS Technologies Inc. was selected as one of six domestic companies to participate in the Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) Enrichment Acquisition Program. This initiative allocates up to $3.4 billion overall, with contracts lasting for up to 10 years. Each awardee is slated to receive a minimum contract of $2 million.
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Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In this context, forward-looking statements mean statements related to future events, which may impact our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "will", "should", "could", "would" or "may" and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are based on information available to us as of the date of this news release and represent management's current views and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, events or results and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control. For LIS Technologies Inc., particular risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the following which are, and will be, exacerbated by any worsening of global business and economic environment: (i) risks related to the development of new or advanced technology, including difficulties with design and testing, cost overruns, development of competitive technology, loss of key individuals and uncertainty of success of patent filing, (ii) our ability to obtain contracts and funding to be able to continue operations and (iii) risks related to uncertainty regarding our ability to commercially deploy a competitive laser enrichment technology, (iv) risks related to the impact of government regulation and policies including by the DOE and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in this and our other filings with the SEC. Only after successful completion of our Phase 2 Pilot Plant demonstration will LIS Technologies be able to make realistic economic predictions for a Commercial Facility. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which apply only as of the date of this news release. These factors may not constitute all factors that could cause actual results to differ from those discussed in any forward-looking statement. Accordingly, forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a predictor of actual results. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this news release, except as required by law.
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LIS Technologies Inc.
Figure 1 - LIS Technologies Inc. Commercial Laser-based Uranium Enrichment Facility Rendering on Newly Acquired $8 Million Duct Island, Now Rebranded as “LIST Island”
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