Medical isotopes created in Bruce County will no longer be shipped overseas for processing

Bruce Power is quickly becoming one of the world’s largest producers of medical isotopes that fight and detect cancer around the globe – but on Friday the government and nuclear operator announced that they are working together to start processing those medical isotopes within Bruce County instead of shipping them overseas for processing.

“We're going to add some facilities either on site or very close to site to process these isotopes, which are coming outside of the reactor. [That means] we can get them into the drug much much faster, and go to the patient as fast as possible,” said Bruce Power CEO and President, Eric Chassard.

The new medical isotope processing facility will be located either right on the Bruce Power site, or in the Bruce Energy Centre near the nuclear plant. This means that instead of shipping the medical isotopes all the way to Germany for processing like they were previously, they’ll be processed within a few hundred metres of where they’re produced.

Medical isotope production at Bruce Power nuclear station near Kincardine (Source: Bruce Power)

“What this means is that we're saving time - and when you're producing these medical isotopes, that time is money. And the closer we can get these medical isotopes to people, the more lives we're going to save. So, this is about economic development for sure, it's about health care too. It's about improving the quality of life of tens of thousands of families that are affected by cancer every week,” said Ontario’s Energy Minister, Stephen Lecce, who was at Bruce Power for Friday’s announcement.

Ontario’s Energy Minister, Stephen Lecce announces plans for a medical isotope processing facility in Bruce County, Friday, November 8 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

Not only will Bruce Power soon start processing their medical isotopes closer to home, but they’ll also be producing a lot more of them. The nuclear power generator plans to more than double their production, of isotope lutetium-177, used primarily to detect and kill prostate cancer cells.

“Before it was very expensive, like $55,000 to $60,000 for one dose, and it was very hard to get. Now with our new production, we are going to produce 400,000 of doses every year - so the cost of the doses will come down to a couple of thousand dollars,” said Chassard.

Canada used to import most of their medical isotopes from Europe, before Bruce Power started producing them in earnest in 2022. The new processing facility announced today, and production lines expands on a partnership Bruce Power has with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation to share in isotope proceeds.

Medical isotope production at Bruce Power nuclear station near Kincardine (Source: Bruce Power)

“We will work with anybody that is willing to hear our voice and allow us a seat at the table and allow us a share of the dividends, which is only right,” said Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Chief, Greg Nadjiwon.

Minister Lecce said Ontario will be leaning heavily on nuclear as it aims to meet a rise in energy demand, which the government expects to more than double between now and 2050.

“We become a one stop integrated nuclear ecosystem where we're doing everything from generation to production to medical isotopes to refining. We're doing it all here in Ontario, and the world is turning to Ontario as a source of leadership for clean energy and for life saving medical isotopes,” said Minister Lecce.

Chassard said Bruce Power is ready for the challenge ahead.