Events

Abstract:
Cobalt-60 is a critical isotope used worldwide to sterilize single-use medical products, ensure the safety of implantable medical devices, and reduce contamination in food through irradiation. While Canda has led the way in isotope production for decades, the U.S. has no domestic production capabilities despite using 50% of the global supply. Additionally, between 20% and 50% of the global cobalt-60 supply comes from Russia, creating increased supply chain risk. To address this, Westinghouse Electric Company and Nordion have partnered to implement first-of-a-kind technology enabling U.S. production of Low Specific Activity (LSA) cobalt-60 in U.S. Pressurized Water Reactors.

The program integrates proprietary Cobalt Burnable Absorber inserts, based on a series of patents owned by Nordion, into Westinghouse fuel assemblies. Harvesting will occur after refueling outages using modular workstations without impacting plant operations or outage duration. Initial deployment at PSEG’s Salem Nuclear Generating Station is targeted for 2026, with the first harvest expected by 2029. This initiative could meet 50% of U.S. demand, complement Canadian production, and support the growing global demand for Cobalt-60 while reducing reliance on Russian supply. Establishing a U.S cobalt-60 supply chain is vital to safeguarding global healthcare and ensuring long-term stability of this critical supply chain.