A nuclear reactor in South Africa has begun around-the-clock production of molybdenum-99 in response to the global shortage of the radioisotope.
The Safari-1 nuclear reactor at Pelindaba has begun producing isotopes seven days a week, according to an article in the Business Report of South Africa. Originally built in 1961 to supply material for South Africa's nuclear weapons program, the reactor is now helping address the shortage created by the shutdown of the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Canada.
The Safara-1 reactor is operated by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA); a division of NECSA, NTP Radioisotopes, signed a deal last month to supply molybdenum-99 to Lantheus Medical Imaging of North Billerica, MA. The increased production will step up the reactor's output by 15%, but still will not be enough to offset the loss of the NRU reactor, according to the article.
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