Technology for crucial radioisotope could be up-and-running at nuclear plant this year
US nuclear company Westinghouse, medical company Nordion and power utility PSEG have entered into long-term agreements to implement newly developed Cobalt-60 production technology for pressurised water reactor units at PSEG’s two-unit Salem nuclear power station in New Jersey, with Cobalt-60 planned to be supplied to Nordion.
Westinghouse said in a statement that The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is reviewing PSEG’s licence amendment request. The parties are targeting implementation of the technology in 2026, subject to NRC authorisation and plant operating schedules.
Cobalt-60 is a radioisotope produced in nuclear reactors out of natural element Cobalt-59.
It is a critical radioisotope used to sterilise more than 16 billion single-use medical devices each year in the US, deliver life-saving cancer treatments and increase food safety through irradiation.
The first commercial-scale implementation of Cobalt-60 production in PWRs signals “a transformative step” towards a secure, diversified domestic Cobalt-60 supply, Westinghouse said.
It said the successful implementation of this technology at Salem will lay the groundwork for broader deployment across the global PWR fleet, which makes up more than 70% of the world’s commercial reactors, and will help anchor a scalable, resilient Cobalt-60 supply network.
