News

In a joint project, TNO and NRG PALLAS investigated the potential role of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in the Dutch energy system.

The multi-year partnership will boost the production of radium-224, strengthening the supply of critical isotopes for Targeted Alpha Therapies (TATs).

From September 22-26, NRG PALLAS hosted the HOTLAB 2024 conference, welcoming 145 participants from 19 countries. The program featured updates on...

The recent European approval of the state aid procedure made the way clear for the merger of NRG and PALLAS on 1 November. At the beginning of 2025, NRG PALLAS will be converted into a state-owned company, with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport as a shareholder. These steps are the final piece of the integration of NRG PALLAS, which took place under the leadership of Bertholt Leeftink from March 2020. This new phase is a natural moment for Bertholt Leeftink to hand over the baton as CEO. From the beginning of November, Peter Luijten will lead NRG PALLAS as interim CEO. Until 1 January 2025, Bertholt Leeftink will ensure a smooth transfer and complete a number of ongoing files. A new CEO will start on 1 May 2025.

The European Commission has approved the Dutch government's plan to invest money in the construction of the new nuclear reactor (PALLAS) in Petten, North Holland. This means that the current reactor in Petten (High Flux Reactor, HFR) will definitely be replaced, and it is a confirmation that the PALLAS-reactor is of strategic importance for the Netherlands and for Europe. The security of supply of medical isotopes for nuclear medicine will be strengthened. For patients, it means faster access to innovative (cancer) treatments.

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited the High Flux Reactor (HFR) from 3 to 5 July as part of a follow-up mission on 'Continued Safe Operation'.

NRGIPALLAS and Curium have signed a long-term agreement to expand the current cooperation to include the production of lutetium-177 (Lu-177). The treatment isotope Lutetium will be added to the products already produced in Petten. This will enable Curium to supply about 70,000 doses of Lu-177 annually, which will help about 14,000 patients per year.

NRG|PALLAS, in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), proudly announces the Nuclear Innovation Conference 2024 (NIC2024). This event is aimed at shaping the future of nuclear energy through collaborative exchange and innovation.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visits the High Flux Reactor and the PALLAS construction site. Worldwide each day more than 30,000 patients are helped with the medical isotopes produced by the reactor. To secure the production and availability of the essential ingredients of nuclear medicine, NRG|PALLAS is preparing the construction of the new PALLAS reactor that is expected to be operational around 2030. DG Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA: “I’m honoured to witness of the start of a new nuclear era in the Netherlands with the construction of the PALLAS-reactor, which will help save many lives around the world.” Bertholt Leeftink, CEO NRG|PALLAS: “To secure the supply of medical isotopes after 2030 the realisation of the PALLAS-reactor is of vital importance.”

Every year, the Province is informed by NRG PALLAS about the progress of the PALLAS Programme. This year, members of the Provincial States visited the Energy & Health Campus (EHC) in Petten on 25 March 2024.

On 7 December, Esther Rommel, representative of the Province North Holland, officially opened the new FIELD-LAB facility in Petten. FIELD-LAB will help accelerate the development of new nuclear medicines for the treatment of cancer. During the opening, Maarten van der Weijden, Olympic and world champion in open water swimming, gave a presentation.