South African radioisotope producer restarts production

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) announced on Wednesday that its subsidiary company, NTP Radioisotopes, had resumed production. Necsa shut down operations at NTP in late November due to non-compliance with safety protocols at the radioisotope producer, a step with which the National Nuclear Regulator concurred. The first production batch of nuclear medical isotopes since operations resumed at NTP was also despatched on Wednesday. It was for South African customers. The production of the first batch for international customers has started. “Most importantly we wish to thank our dedicated staff members who worked throughout the nights and over weekends to ensure we find sustainable solutions to the challenges faced and for the continuous improvements to our systems,” highlighted Necsa Group CEO Phumzile Tshelane. “Necsa will continue to ensure that the Safety Culture is entrenched amongst all employees. We encourage and remind our employees that it must be SAFETY FIRST as they carry out their responsibilities in their respective areas of work.”