Steps Forward for the PALLAS Reactor
NRG PALLAS (ENS Corporate Member) announced the completion of the construction pit and the foundation, marking the end of this phase of the PALLAS project.
This has laid the foundation for the next phase of construction. The arrival of the PALLAS-reactor is crucial for the production of medical isotopes. Patients with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, depend on these isotopes for diagnosis or therapy. The construction of the new reactor will ensure that millions of patients can continue to receive help in the future.
says Peter Dijk, Program Director and member of the Executive Board at NRG PALLAS.
Construction phase at the Petten site. Ph. NRG Pallas
In 2023, BESIX began preparations for the construction pit and the foundation. In May 2023, the first concrete was poured. Since then, the construction site at the Energy & Health Campus in Petten has undergone a transformation, resulting in the completion of the pit.
Highlights of this phase include 30 deep walls, 162 drilled grout anchors equipped with 15 pre-stressing strands per anchor, 380 foundation piles drilled to a depth of -47 NAP, an underwater concrete floor 1.5 meters thick, and on top of this, a reinforced foundation slab measuring 50 by 50 meters and also 1.5 meters thick.
BESIX, a contractor known for its technically demanding projects, successfully integrated engineering and construction, delivering the construction pit in accordance with the required quality standards.
Currently, NRG PALLAS, together with main contractor FCC and designer ICHOS, is preparing the next phase of the project
The construction site is being restructured so that work on the lower section of the reactor can begin later this year. Additionally, preparations are underway for the installation of the cooling water pipeline. The pipeline will extract water from the North Holland Canal and discharge it into the sea.
Read the full NRG PALLAS Press Release.
Every day, more than 30,000 patients rely on the production of medical isotopes from Petten in North Holland. NRG PALLAS has taken the initiative to develop the PALLAS-reactor in Petten, which will replace the currently operational High Flux Reactor (HFR).
Facilities like PALLAS and the currently operating research reactors are indeed crucial to ensure the stable supply of those life-saving products and to meet their growing demand.
ENS, together with Euratom Supply Agency (ENS Member), organised the event Beating Cancer – turning the tide with medical isotopes, which gave us the opportunity to learn more about those amazing developments and to discuss the challenges ahead.
You can find its recording and all materials in our Special Newsletter.
