The National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) in Świerk, about 30 km southeast of the capital Warsaw, said production of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) began at Maria on 21 January, a day after it had been confirmed that the Petten HFR had not been restarted following a shutdown.
NCBJ said a detailed core arrangement calculation was performed “on the spot” and approved by the Polish nuclear regulatory body PAA. “All this was arranged in a matter of hours,” NCBJ said.
“Such a short notice response was possible since the Maria research reactor has been prepared since 2010 for the irradiation of targets for Mo-99 production. Several cycles are performed every year and in case of unplanned shutdowns within primary suppliers Maria is prepared to increase its supply.
NRG, which operates the Petten HFR on behalf of the European Union's Joint Research Centre, said last month that operators discovered a technical failure in the cooling system during startup preparations for the plant, but there was no risk to staff or environment.
NRG said it did not know when the HFR will restart, but it had told Nuclear Medicine Europe, the Brussels-based industry association for medical isotope manufacturers and customers, so it can implement measures for the continuity of supply of medical isotopes.
NRG said it was investigating the root cause of the problem and expects to provide more information next week. It did not say why the HFR had been offline.
Globally, Mo-99 is produced in a limited number of research reactors. The Petten HFR has for a long time supplied about 60% of Europe’s and 30% of the world’s use of medical radioactive sources. Some 30,000 patients every day are treated with medical isotopes from the Netherlands.
In 2012, the Dutch government and the province of Noord-Holland decided that the HFR, which is 60 years old, should be replaced to ensure the supply of medical isotopes and the continuation of nuclear research.
The Maria reactor achieved first criticality in December 1974. It is licensed to operate until 2025 but is expected to continue operating until at least to 2030.
