Westinghouse teams with Nordion and PSEG to produce Co-60 at Salem

As a gamma source, Co-60 is used to sterilize about 40 percent of all single-use medical devices, treat cancer through stereotactic radiosurgery, and enhance food safety through irradiation.

According to the companies, the successful implementation of this technology at Salem will lay the groundwork for broader deployment across the global PWR fleet, helping anchor a scalable, resilient Co-60 supply network.

NRC review: The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is currently reviewing a license amendment request from PSEG to install Westinghouse cobalt burnable absorber (COBA) inserts at Salem-1 and -2 for the breeding of the isotope. According to Westinghouse, the company’s COBA inserts seamlessly integrate Nordion’s nickel-plated Co-59 slugs into Westinghouse fuel assemblies.

The COBA targets will be irradiated over three 18-month fuel cycles and harvested in Salem’s spent fuel pool using a Westinghouse-designed workstation. The harvested low specific activity Co-60 then will be supplied to Nordion for the fabrication of gamma sources.

The companies are targeting the introduction of the COBA inserts at Salem later this year, pending NRC approval and the plant’s operating schedule.

Current supply: A Sotera Health company, Nordion claims to be world’s largest supplier of Co-60. The company has long-term supply contracts with Canada’s nuclear utilities for the production of Co-60. About 50 percent of the global supply of Co-60 is produced in Ontario using CANDU power reactors.

On January 24, President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on goods imported from Canada if the country went ahead with an announced trade deal with China. In November, the Source Security Working Group Office, an alliance of professional organizations, including the American Nuclear Society, urged the U.S. government to withhold imposing tariffs on Canadian-origin Co-60 and to preserve the duty-free treatment of the radioisotope.

According to Westinghouse, the production of the isotope at Salem signals a transformative step toward a secure, diversified domestic Co-60 supply.

They said it: “Creating a robust domestic source of cobalt-60 builds on our long-standing ability to ensure reliability of supply for our customers,” said Riaz Bandali, president of Nordion. “Our collaboration with Westinghouse and PSEG comes at a critical time as demand for cobalt-60 is increasing while accelerator-based irradiation technology is facing significant challenges in deployment and adoption.”

Charles McFeaters, president and chief nuclear officer at PSEG Nuclear, said, “Producing cobalt-60 at the Salem nuclear generating station while providing safe, reliable, carbon-free electricity showcases innovative opportunities for nuclear energy and an important new role in strengthening global health care.”

Sophie Lemaire, interim co-president of Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel, added, “Deploying cobalt-60 production technology into pressurized water reactors marks a significant milestone, extending cobalt-60 production to a new reactor platform for the first time.”