South Africa Plans to Replace Nuclear Reactor That Produces Medical Isotopes

(Bloomberg) -- South Africa is working on a plan to replace a nuclear research reactor set to be retired around 2030 that produces medical isotopes.

The Nuclear Energy Corp. of South Africa and the Department of Energy are working with other parties on a multi-purpose research reactor that would take over from the current plant that has been in use since 1965, state-owned Necsa said in a reply to questions.

Isotopes produced at the Safari-1 reactor, located about 37 kilometers (23 miles) west of Pretoria, are used for medical procedures including treatment and diagnosis of cancer.

The use of nuclear technology has become a politically charged subject in the continent’s most industrialized nation. Former South African President Jacob Zuma favored adding 9,600 megawatts of atomic power to generate electricity for the national grid. Those plans were scrapped shortly after Zuma relinquished control of the ruling African National Congress to Cyril Ramaphosa, who said the country couldn’t afford the plants.

Many of the radiochemicals were produced using the same enriched uranium once contained in apartheid South Africa’s nuclear armaments, according to NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd.’s website. It meets a significant proportion of global demand for molybdenum-99, along with other radioisotopes such as iodine-131 and lutetium-177, according to NTP.

To contact the reporter on this story: Paul Burkhardt in Johannesburg at pburkhardt@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: James Herron at jherron9@bloomberg.net, Liezel Hill, Renee Bonorchis

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