Canadian nuclear power plant to produce Mo-99

Ontario Power Generation said a nuclear power plant in Ottawa, Ontario, has been fitted with technology to enable it to also produce molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) for use in medical imaging.

Recently, Laurentis Energy Partners and BWXT Medical installed a new isotope irradiation at Darlington Nuclear Generating Station in Ottawa, a four-unit facility responsible for generating over 20% of Ontario's electricity needs. The design of Darlington's reactors enables medical isotopes to also be produced without interrupting the generation of energy, according to the companies.

Laurentis, BWXT, and Ontario Power will now continue with planned commissioning and preparation activities for commercial production of Mo-99, pending completion of validation runs and approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada, they said.

The production of Mo-99 at Darlington will be a world-first for a commercial power reactor, according to the firms.