Belgian FANC Supports the Geological Disposal Opportunity The Belgian Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC) has backed the proposal for the final disposal of high-level and long-lived radioactive waste. During the last months this proposal, developed by the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Material (ONDRAF/NIRAS), has been submitted to various government…
MYRRHA Project Achieves an Important Development Milestone The MYRRHA project has achieved a development milestone after researchers at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN) succeeded for the first time in accelerating a proton beam through the recently connected radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ). The RFQ is a component of the particle accelerator that will drive the…
Westinghouse and ENUSA Install EnCore Fuel for the First Time in Europe Westinghouse Electric Company and ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas (ENUSA) announced the installation of EnCore Fuel at Engie Electrabel’s Doel-4 nuclear power plant in Belgium. This installation marks the first insertion of EnCore Fuel rod assemblies in Europe, and the second insertion into a commercial…
SCK CEN Annual Report 2019 Is Out 2019 was a year characterised by many milestones for SCK CEN & its partners. Just to list some of them, SCK CEN has decided to increase the number of operating days for the BR2 research reactor from 160 to 210 per year, guaranteeing an increased supply of medical…
SCK CEN Radioisotopes Production Marks A Great Record Despite Pandemic In the field of radioisotopes production, SCK CEN efficiently overcame the challenges and limitations obliged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, SCK CEN’s research reactor BR2 even produced more radioisotopes in 2020 than in 2019. More than 9 million diagnoses and 20,000 treatments have been provided…
Belgium And The Netherlands Plan New Waste Storage Facilities Radioactive waste includes all types of waste that are radioactive. They need to be treated and stored and handled with the necessary security. Belgian and Dutch agencies for radioactive waste management are developing important projects to ensure the safe storage of waste with different levels of…
SCK CEN And Quirem Medical Start Producing Ho-166 Microspheres At BR2 Reactor SCK CEN and Quirem Medical announce the first production of holmium-166 microspheres for patient use at the BR2 reactor in Mol, Belgium. A first clinical QuiremSpheres® patient procedure took place with radioactive holmium-166 microspheres, an innovative product for treating liver cancer patients. QuiremSpheres is…
Horizon 238, Open Letter To Belgian Government To Stop Nuclear Phaseout Horizon 238 is a Brussels-based group of young engineers supporting nuclear energy for a carbon-free world and for a clean and sustainable future. The group recently released an open letter to the Belgian government, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, and the Minister of Energy Tinne Van…
Poles and Belgians See Nuclear Energy As Necessary Low-Carbon Source Recent opinion polls in two EU Countries, Poland and Belgium, highlighted strong support for nuclear energy as a proven and effective low-carbon source to reduce CO2 and to mitigate climate change. Poland The Polish Ministry of Climate and Environment published today (15th December) the…
BR2’s Radioisotopes Helped More Than 10 Millions Patients in 2021 In 2021, more than 10 million patients were helped thanks to the production of medical radioisotopes in the Belgian research reactor BR2, as reported the Belgian nuclear research centre SCK CEN (ENS Corporate Member). At each operating cycle, it provides the necessary raw materials used…