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Maria reactor. Energy Minister: should be operating at full capacity within a dozen or so hours.
Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka has announced that the MARIA nuclear reactor is anticipated to operate at full capacity within the next several hours. The government also intends to modernize it.
Motyka shared this update during a press briefing held in Świerk.
Motyka: It's not just a reactor
He mentioned that it would be feasible to confirm the reactor’s full operational status within a few hours, which would allow it to function for the next two decades, benefiting Polish scientific research. He emphasized its significant importance for medicine, particularly highlighting the reactor’s contribution to the production of radioisotopes.
„It's more than just a reactor; it symbolizes scientific inquiry, including studies in material physics. It integrates numerous diverse fields, all interconnected in the research,” commented Prof. Dr. Agnieszka Pollo, the acting director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research.
She remarked that the authorization to restart the MARIA reactor came with specific conditions, and the National Atomic Energy Agency (NAA) will continue to oversee its operations.
Read more: Poland's second nuclear power plant could be built here. Research has begun >>>
„We will have a larger product portfolio”
– We are in the final stages of constructing the Cerad project, which will include a cyclotron for producing isotopes aside from those generated by the MARIA nuclear research reactor, stated Prof. Dr. hab. Agnieszka Pollo, the acting director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research.
She further explained that this will enable us to „expand our product range and enhance our capacity to develop entirely new medications.”
Pollo highlighted that the NCBJ team is not only focused on creating new drugs but is also innovating new medical therapies.
Permission to operate the reactor
The President of the National Atomic Energy Agency granted permission for the MARIA nuclear research reactor’s operation on July 31 of this year, as announced by the PAA on Friday. It was noted that the decision remains indefinite.
The previous authorization from the President of the National Atomic Energy Agency (NAEA) for the operation of the MARIA reactor at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk expired on March 31 of this year, after a decade. The reactor has been non-operational since early April of this year.
MARIA nuclear reactor
The only functioning nuclear reactor in Poland, named Maria (in tribute to Maria Skłodowska-Curie), was inaugurated in Świerk (now part of Otwock) in December 1974 and commenced regular operations in 1995.
According to information available on government websites, this reactor has a nominal thermal output of 30 MW and serves as a research reactor—the largest research facility at the National Centre for Nuclear Research. The term „research reactor” signifies that it is not designed to generate energy for external consumers (even for those located within the premises of the center).
„The production from the MARIA reactor satisfies a significant portion of the global demand for iodine-131, which is utilized in thyroid treatments. Additionally, the reactor has implemented uranium target irradiation technology to generate molybdenum, which is essential for producing technetium-99m – currently the most crucial nuclide in nuclear medicine,” reported the National Centre for Nuclear Research.
