The Bruce Power Nuclear Facility in Tiverton, Ont., is set to expand production of medical isotopes by installing a second system to significantly increase in the plant’s ability to produce the cancer-treating elements.
The project will receive $13-million from the federal government through the Canadian Medical Isotope Ecosystem, which was established in 2023 to support research and development focused on medical isotopes, which are used to diagnose and treat certain conditions such as cancer. The goal of the program is to create and commercialize innovative treatments in the health care sector.
By the end of the year, Bruce Power also plans to file a licence application to prepare the isotopes on-site for pharmaceutical processing, rather than sending them abroad. Chief operating officer James Scongack said that work is expected start in the second quarter of 2026.
“It’s more than a dream. We’re going to put the first steps in place, and we look forward to moving further up that value chain,” Mr. Scongack said, adding the expansion of isotope production was an important first step to get to processing.
At the announcement Tuesday, Minister of Energy Tim Hodgson called Bruce Power “a cornerstone of Canada’s clean energy advantage and a beacon of innovation in nuclear medicine,” adding it doesn’t get enough credit.
Bruce Power produces the medical isotope lutetium-177, a radioactive atom which is used in targeted cancer therapies.
As cancer rates increase around the world, so does the market for medical isotopes. More than 40 million procedures are performed worldwide each year using medical isotopes, for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.
With the market projected to grow from just over $13-billion to more than $45-billion a year in the coming decade, “Canada has a unique opportunity to lead and prosper, not just as a supplier, but as a super power in energy and health innovation,” Mr. Hodgson said.
The Ontario government is also targeting the increasing production. Last month it launched a new expert advisory panel to consult with the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council, health care providers, hospitals and industry to provide recommendations on how to double the amount of isotopes the province produces by 2030.
Ontario’s nuclear reactors already produce approximately 50 per cent of the world’s isotopes that are used to treat head, neck and cervical cancers and sterilize medical equipment, according to the province.
It also produces isotopes that are used for diagnostic imaging of the heart, bones, lungs and kidneys.
But Bruce Power is the first commercial nuclear reactor in the world to produce lutetium-177 – which is used in targeted therapy for neuroendocrine tumours and prostate cancer.