NRU Status Report #73 - AECL provides update on NRU activities

Chalk River Information Bulletin

(2010 August 25) The following information bulletin is in accordance with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's (AECL) ongoing commitment to voluntary public disclosure of events related to the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL).

AECL reports that the NRU return to service activities are complete and that the reactor reached high power operation on August 17. The first Molybdenum-99 isotope was harvested from NRU and delivered to our customer, MDS Nordion, on August 18. Today, AECL reports that the NRU has resumed full production of medical isotopes.

As per guidance issued on August 20 in NRU Status Report #72, the NRU is currently in a planned shutdown to remove specialized start-up equipment. This planned two-day shutdown will not interrupt the production of Molybdenum-99 isotopes.

Information on the production of medical isotopes can be seen in a new video posted on NRUCanada.ca. In this video AECL’s Richard Coté, Vice-President Isotopes Business and Marc Robillard, Acting Director, Medical Isotopes, outline the processes involved in producing and distributing medical isotopes.

The production of medical isotopes is a key element of AECL’s core mission. Returning the NRU to service diligently and safely, to support Canadian patients and healthcare practitioners has been our top priority. The NRU return to service also allows AECL to continue to provide important research support to scientists and universities from across Canada and around the world.

As the NRU is now safely returned to regular operations, weekly NRU Status Reports will no longer be issued. In accordance with our commitment to voluntary public disclosure, AECL will issue updates as required.

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Contact:

Robin Forbes
Manager, External Communications
AECL, 1-866-886-2325