China's Qinshan Nuclear Power Expands Isotope Production and Medical Application Industry Chain

Recently, the commercial heavy water reactors at Qinshan Nuclear Power have been producing isotopes such as cobalt-60, carbon-14, lutetium-177, and yttrium-90 while continuing to supply electricity, expanding the comprehensive utilization pathways of nuclear power units. Qinshan possesses the only two commercial heavy water reactor units in China, with an annual power generation of approximately 12 billion kWh, and their reactor irradiation capability also provides production conditions for isotope preparation.

Isotope production utilizes neutrons within the reactor to irradiate specially designed targets, forming target nuclides through nuclear reactions and subsequent decay. Different nuclides require different target materials, irradiation conditions, and processing procedures. After irradiation is completed, targets must undergo corresponding processing and quality inspection before entering subsequent product manufacturing and application stages, forming a linkage from reactor irradiation to nuclear technology products.

Stable operation is an important foundation for continuous isotope production. The heavy water reactor units at Qinshan Nuclear Power have achieved continuous operation for 738 days, accumulating operational experience for arranging target irradiation, organizing production, and coordinating downstream demand. Around the production characteristics of different nuclides, the coordination among reactor operation, target management, and subsequent processing is an important link in ensuring product supply.

Isotope production capacity is being further integrated with local industrial layout. The Zhejiang Haiyan Nuclear Technology Application (Isotope) Industrial Park has gathered more than 30 projects with a total investment exceeding 10 billion yuan, and the expected output value after full production exceeds 22 billion yuan. The industrial supporting facilities formed around nuclide production, processing, and application are driving the extension of Qinshan Nuclear Power's irradiation resources into medical health and other fields, expanding the industrial space for comprehensive utilization of nuclear energy.