WWII survivor advances nuclear tech after being saved by the atomic bomb

In 1945, the U.S. dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan to bring an end to World War II. For Jeff Eerkens, the military operation did more than end the war — it saved his life. Eerkens was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp in the Pacific when the bombings helped secured his release. The nuclear event inspired him to dedicate his career to nuclear technology.

“Energy is man’s third most important need after water and food,” Eerkens said in a statement. “We are entering a war-like energy-deprivation period as serious as World War II. Strong Manhattan-project-like leadership is now needed. Green nuclear power is the only practical solution to simultaneously ameliorate global warming, avoid dependence on foreign oil/gas, and overcome oil/gas depletion.”

Following the war, Eerkens went on to develop a groundbreaking laser process to make uranium more suitable for use as nuclear fuel. Now known as the “Father of Laser Enrichment,” Eerkins co-founded LIS Technologies, a company focused on using this method for a variety of applications, including giving nuclear power plants the resources they need to produce energy.

“With lasers, the process can be more targeted and energy efficient,” Christo Liebenberg, who co-founded LIS Technologies with Eerkens and now serves as the company’s CEO, told Straight Arrow News. “You can reduce the operational costs of nuclear fuel production, but it also has a reduced environmental impact. Nuclear power is a key player in decarbonization, as the world pushes towards net zero carbon emissions, nuclear power will play a central role.”

While major nuclear accidents like Chernobyl, Fukushima and Three Mile Island turned public opinion against nuclear energy, the global push to reduce carbon emissions is giving nuclear power a second chance. Countries are increasingly considering it as a key part of their strategies for a low-carbon future.

“After the Three-Mile-Island reactor meltdown in 1979 in the U.S. and Russia’s Chernobyl accident in 1986, public hysteria fanned by fear-mongering antinuclear activists caused cancellations and moratoria on construction of new nuclear plants,” Eerkens said. “Any further delay of a committed worldwide nuclear energy program will cause certain impoverishment and death of many people by 2050.”

LIS Technologies claimed their laser enrichment method is safer, more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than traditional approaches. As Eerkens reflects on his life, he hopes the technology that once helped secure his freedom will now contribute to the world’s clean energy future.