Department of Atomic Energy to set up nuclear reactor in Visakhapatnam for medical needs, cancer treatment
The proposed facility, to be set up under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, will be India’s first reactor entirely dedicated to the production of medical isotopes used in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and other diseases.
“DAE has decided to set up a nuclear reactor exclusively for the production of isotopes for medical purposes, especially cancer treatment. It is expected to be set up within the next four to five years under the PPP arrangement,” the official told PTI.
He said the reactor would be located in Visakhapatnam and would not only meet the domestic demand but also support exports. “This will take care of the entire requirement within India and will also enable exports,” he said.
Emphasizing the importance of the project, the official said approval has been granted and funding is awaited. “Since this is a PPP initiative, private players are expected to invest and become stakeholders. They will have the right to sell radioisotopes, while NPCIL and BARC will be involved in designing and execution. The operation will be handled by NPCIL,” he said.
At present, India has no dedicated reactor solely for isotope production. Existing reactors used for nuclear medicine also perform physics and radiation experiments, he said.
BARC currently supplies around two lakh units of nuclear material annually to medical institutions across India for diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer. “About 10% of the total patient load is handled by Tata Memorial Centre, while 370 hospitals together contribute about 60%,” the official said.
According to BARC data, around two lakh isotopic sources are supplied annually for PET scans, CT scans and other nuclear medicine procedures.
He said the new reactor aims to make India self-reliant in the production of these important radioisotopes, thereby reducing dependence on imports from Europe, Australia and other Asian countries. “It is also expected to establish India as a major player in the global nuclear medicine market,” the official said.
Radioisotopes are unstable atomic nuclei that release energy and particles when they decay into stable forms. They are widely used in nuclear medicine for cancer imaging and treatment. They also have wide industrial applications, including detecting flow faults, evaluating reactor designs, monitoring product quality, and ensuring process efficiency.
Currently, major radioisotope production in India is carried out by BARC at its Trombay campus and through an accelerator facility in Kolkata.
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