South Africa's Nesca to supply all-LEU molybdenum-99 to the United States

South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) will supply Mo-99 to the United States. NTP Radioisotopes company, a subsidiary of Nesca, won a $25 million award from U.S. NNSA to supply the material. According to the Nesca press-release, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) will also participate in the arrangement.

This is the first large-scale operation that will produce Mo-99 with LEU targets irradiated in a reactor (Safari-1) that uses LEU fuel. The award came after Nesca delivered its first Mo-99 batch to the United States for certification in August 2010.