NRC okays U.S. isotope plant construction application

SHINE Medical Technologies, a Wisconsin-based producer of medical isotope technologies, announced Dec. 3 that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Committee (NRC) has accepted the second and final portion of the company's application for a construction permit to build an accelerator plant for medical isotopes including molybdenum-99, which would in turn create a U.S. supply of technetium-99.

Unlike nuclear reactors that rely on the same high-enriched uranium used in weapons production, SHINE, which stands for Subcritical Hybrid Intense Neutron Emitter, would use a subcritical assembly to accelerate deuterium ions that strike tritium gas. The neutrons that result are then used to irradiate low-enriched uranium salts, which cannot be used to produce nuclear weapons.

The first half of SHINE’s construction permit application was accepted by the NRC on June 25 and the company has now submitted the prerequisite safety analysis report and plant emergency protocol.

“The acceptance of the remainder of the construction permit application is a significant accomplishment,” said company officials in a statement. “The acceptance review confirms that SHINE has met the regulatory requirements for the application, including providing a preliminary safety assessment and an evaluation of the environmental impacts. The acceptance of the application is a significant milestone for the company and an important step in the development of domestic production of medical isotopes.”

The NRC will now conduct a thorough technical review before the company can proceed with construction of the plant that would break ground near Janesville, Wisc. The review will provide a public hearing prior to final permission. If construction proceeds, SHINE then will be required to apply for an operators permit from the agency.