For the first time in the history, Leningrad nuclear power plant has started commercial production of a new iodine-131 for radiopharmaceuticals, which are necessary for oncological diseases diagnosis and treatment. The first shipment of capsules with iodine-131 to the customer – Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry (Obninsk) – will take place on 10 July.

The contract with the customer provides weekly 4-6 block-container delivery with the content activity of 70-80 curies, which allows to carry out 2-3 thousand procedures on diagnostics and treatment of oncological diseases every week.

“The need for radiopharmaceuticals is constantly growing all around the world, as the possibilities of nuclear medicine are increasingly being studied and implemented. Despite the competition from some other enterprises, LNPP has three main advantages.

First, we have 4 reactors that can irradiate materials by turns, without stopping, and ensure stable supplies. Second, a larger reactor core allows to irradiate a large number of block containers simultaneously. And third, our production costs are lower”, the Plant Manager of Leningrad NPP Vladimir Pereguda said.

A unique design of RBMK reactors with installed irradiation holes allows Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant to produce isotopes for various purposes. In the case of iodine-131, the reactor gets filled with capsules with a starting normally occurring material – tellurium dioxide. After two weeks inside the reactor iodine-131 isotope is ready for the production of radiopharmaceuticals.

Leningrad NPP specializes in irradiating starting materials. It is much more profitable, since the technology is unified and does not require a lot of personnel. Today the world in general lacks facilities that can irradiate targets and receive radioisotopes. It’s to be reminded, that in addition to iodine-131 Leningrad NPP produces cobalt-60, iodine-125, molybdenum-99 and silicon alloys.

Since 1992, Leningrad NPP has been providing services for the V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute in production of radionuclides for medicine purposes and has been executing about 3,000 medical diagnostic procedures per year. “There are 7-8 clinics in St. Petersburg today that have tomographs for conducting cancer diagnosis procedures. They all operate with our isotopes. We sell molybdenum lover than market prices, at a cost that St. Petersburg’s Health Committee can afford. For us it’s not about profits; you can say, there is more about charity than commercial interest”, the Head of the Radiotechnology Department at Leningrad NPP Yevgeniy Gorbunov said.


The Leningrad NPP is an affiliate company for Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is based in the city of Sosnovy Bor, 40 km to the west from Saint Petersburg at the Gulf of Finland shore. The Leningrad NPP is the first Russian nuclear power plant having RBMK-1000 reactors (uranium-graphite channel-type thermal neutron reactors). The NPP exploits 4 power blocks with the electric capacity of 1000 megawatt each. Also, pursuant to the NPP-2006 project, 1,2 VVER-1200 power blocks included into The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM long-term plan are being constructed. Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC is the owner and developer of the project. Holding TITAN-2 is the primary contractor. ATOMPROEKT is the general designer.


Leningrad  NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.