Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten led the groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site, paving the way for innovative applications of the MYRRHA IVZW/AISBL project and the Belgian Nuclear Research Center(SCK CEN), led by physicist Hamid Aït Abderrahim. This project promises advances in cancer treatment, fundamental physics research, accelerator technology and nuclear waste management.
The MYRRHA project
During the opening ceremony in Mol, Minister Van der Straeten mentioned the relevance of the project, under a multifunctional and unique research infrastructure, being the world’s first research reactor to operate with a 300-meter-long particle accelerator.
The first MINERVA phase will include a particle accelerator and two target facilities. In addition to its primary goal of researching new materials and improving accelerator technology, MINERVA will have a vital medical focus. For example, it has estimates of producing a new generation of medical radioisotopes that emit alpha particles, which target only the tumor in cancer patients, leaving healthy tissue undamaged, resulting in less invasive treatments.
The MYRRHA subcritical reactor will be built in future stages, subject to funding. This reactor will enable transmutation research to reduce the volume and radiotoxicity of high-level nuclear waste. Hamid Aït Abderrahim explained that MYRRHA will make it possible to reuse part of the high-level nuclear waste, reducing its radiotoxicity from 300,000 years to just 300 years, and reducing the volume of waste by a factor of 100.
The development of the Belgian nuclear tradition
Minister Van der Straeten highlighted that institutions such as SCK CEN and IRE have established Belgium as a leader in medical radioisotope production and cutting-edge nuclear research. The start of MINERVA is an important moment for nuclear research. Belgian nuclear research Belgian nuclear research, ensuring continuity in the production of medical radioisotopes and preserving jobs in the Kempen region.
The MYRRHA project approach. Source: MYRRHA
The MYRRHA project will be carried out in three phases. The first phase, already underway, is the creation of MINERVA, which includes a particle accelerator and two target facilities. The second phase will expand the accelerator to 600 MeV to incorporate fundamental physics research and radioactive isotope beams. The third phase will be the construction of the nuclear reactor, with the goal of having the project operational by 2038.
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Source and photo: SCK CEN
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