New medical isotopes will be produced at the Leningrad NPP (branch of Rosenergoatom Concern JSC, the electric power division of Rosatom State Corporation). In addition to molybdenum-99, iodine-131, and lutetium-177 for the diagnosis and treatment of a number of diseases, domestic samarium-153 has been added.
Successful test irradiation of the starting substance to obtain it has already been carried out, and a license for the production of samarium-153 has been obtained.
Today, radiopharmaceuticals with samarium-153 are widely used to reduce pain in bone metastases for palliative care for cancer patients, as well as in traumatology for chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Therapy with samarium-153 can eliminate the need for constant use of narcotic analgesics, and also has the property of inhibiting the progression of bone metastases and achieving a persistent reduction in pain.
Rosatom plans to start producing medical isotopes at other nuclear power plants as well: Kursk and Smolensk.
Leningrad NPP
One of the largest nuclear power plants in Russia, located on the coast of the Gulf of Finland, with an installed capacity of 4400 MW. It operates two units with RBMK-1000 reactors and two units with VVER-1200 reactors. Their design service life is 60 years with the possibility of extending it for another 20 years.
The replacement of both RBMK-1000 reactors is scheduled for 2030 and 2032. By that time, two new power units with VVER-1200 reactors will be built. The annual output of each of them will be more than 8.5 billion kWh of electricity.
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