Today, Rosenergoatom (the Electric Power Division of the Rosatom State Corporation) produces more than 20% of the world's consumption of cobalt-60, which is used to sterilize medical devices, decontaminate food and modify materials. In March, the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant shipped the first batch of cobalt-60 produced at RBMK reactors. Given the shipments of cobalt-60 from the Leningrad NPP and the start of shipments in May 2023 from the Kursk NPP, Rosenergoatom will reach a 30% share of the global cobalt-60 market this year.

The other day Deputy General Director - Business Development Director of Rosenergoatom Nikita Konstantinov paid a working visit to the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant. Under his chairmanship, a meeting was held on the implementation of a program at RBMK reactors to increase production volumes and expand the range of isotopes most in demand on the world market.

“Designers, planners, manufacturers, installers, with the direct participation of personnel from almost all departments of the Smolensk NPP, have done tremendous work to create and develop a unique technology for handling cobalt-60. Thanks to this, in 2023, the readiness of three power units of the Smolensk NPP for the rhythmic unloading of irradiated material and its shipment to customers will be achieved,” said Pavel Lubensky, deputy general director - director of the Smolensk NPP branch of Rosenergoatom.

The second no less important direction of using the capacities of power channel reactors is the production of medical isotopes. Since 1997 Leningrad NPP has been producing iodine-125, iodine-131, molybdenum-99. Starting this year, lutetium-177 will appear in the line of new promising products at the Leningrad NPP.

During the visit, issues of ensuring the production of medical isotopes at the RBMK Smolensk and Kursk NPPs by 2025 were discussed. They noted the strategic importance of fulfilling the tasks set for the shipment of medical isotopes for the development of Russian nuclear medicine.

The plans include the production of the most popular isotopes for the production of radiopharmaceuticals: iodine-131, lutetium-177, molybdenum-99, samarium-153. Participation in the project of the Smolensk and Kursk stations will make it possible to multiply the amount of raw materials produced, which means that, if there is sufficient production capacity, the number of essential medicines for the diagnosis and treatment of oncological diseases.

“Implementation of the project to expand the production of medical isotopes at the channel reactors of the Smolensk and Kursk NPPs will more than double the production capacity of Rosenergoatom and provide supplies to the plant being built by the State Corporation Rosatom in the city of Obninsk for the production of radiopharmaceuticals for the needs of Russian medicine,” noted Deputy General Director - Business Development Director of Rosenergoatom Nikita Konstantinov.

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Providing the availability of nuclear medicine technologies in the regions of the Russian Federation, including popular radiopharmaceuticals, is of great social importance, as it is directly related to healthcare measures aimed at fighting oncological and other common diseases in the country.

The implementation of Rosatom's projects for the production of cobalt and medical isotopes is aimed primarily at improving the quality of life of the population, protecting its health, as well as developing Russian industry, including in the territories where Rosatom State Corporation functions.