Foundation Preparation Pallas-reactor (PALLAS) is responsible for obtaining a licensable design and constructing and operating the PALLAS-reactor.
PALLAS will help tens of thousands of patients every day by providing medical isotopes. These radioactive particles in nuclear medicine are crucial elements in order to diagnose or treat illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. PALLAS will also be an important player in (medical) nuclear technological research.
Design and construction
The design and construction is aimed at all activities that relate to the specifications, functional requirements, tender of the design, construction, and operation of the PALLAS-reactor.
Permits
To enable construction of the new reactor, various government agencies must make decisions and grant the required permits. The current zoning plan must therefore be revised. To this end, the Design & Licensing team had to submit a legally mandated Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for revising the zoning plan to the municipality of Schagen. This was done at the end of 2017 and the municipality of Schagen approved the zoning plan in 2019.
Within a few years, PALLAS will request a Nuclear Energy Act (NEA) permit from the Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS) for which a more detailed EIA is required. In addition, the NEA permit requires a comprehensive safety report. Other relevant laws for PALLAS are the Water Act for all direct discharging of cooling water, the Environmental Permitting (General Provisions) Act for location-bound activities, including construction, installation and use, and the Nature Conservancy Act for protecting nature areas.
Financing
Minister Kuipers of Health, Welfare and Sport announced September 20, 2022, that money has been set aside for the construction of the PALLAS-reactor in Petten, North Holland, in the coming years. The ministry is reserving 30 million euros for the project this year and 129 million euros per year from next year.
The financial reserves now set by the Cabinet for the coming years are a huge boost for nuclear medicine, knowledge and innovation and for the Netherlands. The Cabinet is expected to take a final decision on the remaining investment costs in spring 2023.