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ROMANIAN NUCLEAR UTILITY
PLANT OPERATION THE CANADIAN NUCLEAR
ARGENTINA’S NUCLEAR REGULATORY
POLICY ESTONIA’S PARLIAMENT (RIIGIKOGU) has
EUROPEAN NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
CANADA’S SASKATCHEWAN POWER
LAWMAKERS FROM TAIWAN’S
Cyclotron installed at Proton Therapy Centre
A cyclotron weighing 230 tonnes has been lifted in two stages into the building of the Argentine Proton Therapy Centre (CeArP – Centro Argentino de Protonterapia) being built in Buenos Aires City. CeArP is a joint project involving the National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA – Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica), Buenos Aires University, private technology company INVAP and Belgium’s IBA. The operation was carried out by specialists
from IBA, which supplied the cyclotron. After hooking the lower half to the crane, lifting was done slowly so that it could be placed in its exact position inside the bunker. A similar task was performed for the top half. The C230 model cyclotron, from the Proteus
Plus system, will be the heart of this centre. It is a circular particle accelerator that produces proton beams. It is located in an enclosure with concrete walls up to four metres wide. The 8,000 m² CeArP is being built next to the Nuclear Diagnosis Centre Foundation (FCDN – Fundacion Centro Diagnostico Nuclear) and opposite the Ángel H Roffo Institute of Oncology, with which the CeArP will be closely related for the integral care and support of patients with cancer. It will be the first such centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
Canada Initial site prep for Darlington SMR The Ontario Government said Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has completed, on time and on budget, the first phase of site preparation for Ontario’s first small modular reactor (SMR) being built at Darlington. OPG announced in March that early phase works for the Darlington New Nuclear Project to construct the first of up to four BWRX-300 SMRs had been completed. The site has now been transitioned into the
care of construction partner, Aecon, to enable main site preparation to begin. This work will involve excavation, construction of shoring walls, as well as land clearance. The government’s Powering Ontario’s Growth
Plan includes significant investments in nuclear energy including: ● Starting pre-development work at Bruce Power to site the first large-scale nuclear build in over three decades which could power up to the equivalent of 4.8m homes.
● Conducting site preparation and planning for four SMRs as part of the Darlington New Nuclear Project which could power the equivalent of 1.2m homes.
● Supporting OPG’s plan to proceed with the next steps towards refurbishing the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, which could power the equivalent of 2m homes.
8 | July 2024 |
www.neimagazine.com
“This is a very important milestone, because the cyclotron is the main machine of the Argentine Centre for Protontherapy,” said CNEA Vice President nuclear engineer Luis Rovere. He added: “We estimate that the first tests could start in the second half of 2025.” Proton therapy uses external beams of
radiation. Proton bundles can be directed with millimetre precision and only release their maximum energy in the targetted tumour. Side effects on healthy tissues are therefore much reduced. “That is why proton therapy is especially indicated to treat paediatric cancer or tumours that are difficult to access,” Rovere explained. The proton beams generated by the cyclotron
will also be directed to a sector dedicated to research and development – the Laboratory for Research & Development in Proton Therapy (LAIDEP -Laboratorio de Investigación y Desarrollo en Protonterapia). In addition to proton therapy, CeArP will offer high-energy x-ray radiation therapy or photons with a Versa HD linear accelerator. A linear accelerator for CyberKnife radiosurgery has also been installed. The equipment of the centre also includes a magnetic resonator and a dual energy tomograph. ■
The Ontario Government also announced the successful completion of trade missions to Romania and France, securing significant deals that will support Ontario’s economy and workforce. This mission, led by Ontario’s newly appointed Minister of Energy & Electrification Stephen Lecce. Lecce, along with Minister of Education Todd Smith, saw new agreements signed with SN Nuclearelectrica (SNN) in Romania and Stellarex in France. In Romania, Lecce and Smith joined by
Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja, signed a CAD360m ($262m) deal between OPG subsidiary Canadian Nuclear Partners and SNN to support refurbishment of Romania’s Cernavoda NPP unit 1. In France, Smith joined OPG and fusion
technology company Stellarex to sign a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities for the development and deployment of fusion energy in Ontario. Lecce and Smith also met with European
government representatives and energy companies to showcase the province’s strength as a world-leader in nuclear energy. They also hosted a Nuclear Education Roundtable alongside leaders of Europe’s nuclear industry and Ontario universities to discuss workforce and talent gaps in Romania’s nuclear sector and opportunities for future collaboration.
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