But technology raises fears over nuclear proliferation.
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) this week granted
a licence to allow construction of a plant that uses a controversial uranium
enrichment process — one that critics fear could pose a serious
nuclear-proliferation risk. The plant, which would be built through a
partnership between General Electric (GE) and Hitachi in Wilmington, North
Carolina, could be used to enrich uranium to make fuel for nuclear reactors
quickly and cheaply using a process that involves a laser.