By use of low‐inductance (0.5 &mgr;H) discharge circuits, pulses of 9.6 mJ were obtained from a double‐pulsed CuCl laser. An oscillator‐amplifier configuration produced a pulse energy of 11 mJ. Scaling studies indicate that additional increases in the laser energy could be obtained by increasing the discharge voltage above 20 kV and/or by increasing the laser‐tube dimensions.