Can Nuclear Power Fix Medicine’s Quiet Supply Risk?

Westinghouse, Nordion and PSEG plan first cobalt-60 production in a US pressurised water reactor to strengthen sterilisation supply

9 Mar 2026

A group of nuclear and isotope companies has agreed to begin producing cobalt-60 inside a US pressurised water reactor for the first time, a move intended to reduce long-standing supply risks for the global medical sterilisation industry.

Westinghouse, Nordion and PSEG Nuclear signed long-term agreements on January 27 to deploy cobalt-60 production technology at the Salem Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey. Regulatory approval in the US is under way, with production targeted to begin in 2026.

Cobalt-60 is the radioactive isotope used in gamma sterilisation, a process that treats about 40 per cent of single-use medical devices worldwide, including surgical instruments, implants and drug-delivery equipment.

Supply of the isotope has historically been concentrated in a limited number of reactors, primarily in Canada, Russia and Argentina. Several of these facilities are ageing, and periodic outages or refurbishment programmes have previously disrupted sterilisation capacity, affecting medical device supply chains in Europe and other regions.

Under the new arrangement, Westinghouse will install specialised irradiation targets inside the Salem plant’s pressurised water reactor. Nordion, one of the largest global distributors of cobalt-60, will process and distribute the isotope to customers in more than 40 countries.

The initiative also signals a potential expansion of cobalt-60 production across a broader segment of the nuclear fleet. Pressurised water reactors account for more than 70 per cent of commercial nuclear plants globally, including many in Europe.

Industry groups say using these reactors could substantially expand isotope supply and reduce reliance on a small number of production sites.

European nuclear companies are exploring similar projects. EDF and Framatome have begun a feasibility study to produce cobalt-60 in a French pressurised water reactor. Demonstration capsules are planned for 2026, with technical validation expected before 2030.

For medical device manufacturers and contract sterilisation operators, additional sources of cobalt-60 could help stabilise a supply chain that has faced periodic disruptions for more than a decade. The pace of regulatory approvals and reactor deployments will determine how quickly new capacity reaches the market.