The new nuclear reactor in Petten is going to be built: the Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) has given approval. In the nuclear reactor, medical isotopes are developed that help thousands of cancer patients, among other things. For the first time in decades, a new nuclear reactor may be built in the Netherlands.
The Pallas reactor is to replace the more than 60-year-old (and outdated) High Flux Reactor in Petten. In addition to the fact that replacement is necessary due to the age of the old reactor, it is also necessary to be able to produce more medical isotopes in this way. “To avoid putting people on a waiting list with a diagnosis, it’s time to replace this reactor,” he said told a spokesman for PALLAS in 2018 to NH News.
The reactor should be there in about ten to fifteen years, said program director Peter Dijk of PALLAS last year know. There will be a transition period of one to two years for both to work to ensure that the handover to the new reactor is as smooth as possible.
Commissioning
The reactor can be built with this permit from the ANVS. The permit is available for inspection until the end of March, until then people can appeal to the Council of State. If not, the permit is final. In a few years, probably in 2028, a permit will also have to be applied for for the commissioning. Rijkswaterstaat has also granted a permit so that the reactor can use water from the Noordhollands Kanaal as cooling water. The cooling water is non-radioactive and is discharged into the North Sea.