The Department of Energy and Oak Ridge National Laboratory held a groundbreaking ceremony to commence the construction of a new facility for the large-scale production of stable isotopes for industrial, medical and research applications.
DOE said Monday the Stable Isotope Production and Research Center will receive $75 million in funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to ensure a sufficient supply of stable isotopes in the U.S.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said isotopes are essential to keeping the health and safety of Americans as they could help diagnose and treat life-threatening diseases like cancer and could be used for identifying nuclear threats.
“With support from the President’s Inflation Reduction Act, the world-class Stable Isotope Production and Research Center will help establish a reliable domestic supply of isotopes critical to the health and safety of Americans in every corner of the nation,” Granholm said.
SIPRC will be part of the department’s Isotope Program, which oversees the production and distribution of radioactive and stable isotopes that are in short supply.
