EU approves €2 billion Dutch subsidy for new nuclear reactor in Petten

The Netherlands will soon be given permission to finance the new PALLAS nuclear reactor in Petten. Press agency Reuters reported, based on insiders, that the state aid can count on approval from the European Commission under certain conditions.

The new nuclear reactor is intended to secure the supply of medical isotopes, which are used, among other things, in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The financing involves approximately 2 billion euros.

Brussels' approval would be subject to a condition. The Netherlands would have to promise that the isotopes would not be marketed below cost. This was in response to an earlier complaint by the American manufacturer of medical isotopes, SHINE Technologies.

It is unclear when precisely the European Commission's decision will be released. According to sources, this could already be on Friday. A spokesperson for the commission only shared that the case is still ongoing. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport in The Hague declined to comment to Reuters.

The Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) approved the construction of a new nuclear reactor in Petten in February last year. It was the first time in a decade that permission had been granted to construct a nuclear reactor in the Netherlands.

Petten is already considered one of the most important suppliers of medical isotopes in the world. The PALLAS reactor is meant to replace the old Hoge Flux Reactor in Petten.

The current test reactor in Petten, which is in the municipality of Schagen, is decades old. The arrival of the PALLAS reactor will ensure that the Netherlands can continue the production of isotopes for 50 years.