Canada’s Nordion Inc., a Sotera Health company, and Romania’s Nuclearelectrica (SNN) have signed an agreement to evaluate the potential commercial production of Cobalt-60 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (CNPP) in southeastern Romania.
The companies have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding in support of the project and will begin working towards establishing a new supply of this critical isotope for the global market, combining the companies’ respective world-class expertise and experience in reactor operations and Cobalt-60 production.
“We’re seeing an unprecedented growth in demand for Cobalt-60, and Nordion is excited about the agreement with SNN to pursue Cobalt-60 production capability at CNPP which will help ensure long-term supply for the industry,” said Nordion’s president, Kevin Brooks.
“Exploring the possibility of Cobalt-60 production in the Cernavoda reactors is a major step for the Romanian nuclear industry towards fully realizing the beneficial effects of nuclear technology in healthcare. We look forward to becoming part of the international Cobalt-60 community. SNN understands the importance of Cobalt-60 to global healthcare, and we are pleased to have Nordion as our partner in this project.” said Cosmin Ghita, CEO of Nuclearelectrica.
Nordion plays a key role in safeguarding global health by supplying Cobalt-60 to sterilise single-use medical devices, reduce pathogens in food and other products, and treat certain cancers. As the world’s leading supplier of Cobalt-60, Nordion maintains the most geographically and technologically diverse supply network.