The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved a license amendment to allow Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) Nuclear to produce cobalt-60 (Co-60) at its Hope Creek nuclear power plant in New Jersey.
PSEG Nuclear will generate and transfer cobalt-60 for medical and industrial uses, including cancer therapy. Under the pilot program, PSEG will be allowed to insert as many as 12 modified fuel assemblies containing cobalt-59 (Co-59) into the reactor. Co-59 absorbs neutrons and becomes Co-60. The irradiated assemblies are removed from the reactor and processed to recover the isotope.
PSEG will gather data to verify the performance of the modified fuel assemblies prior to full production of Co-60.
Most of the world's Co-60 comes from two Canadian suppliers, including Atomic Energy of Canada's (AECL) National Research Universal reactor in Chalk River, Ontario.
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