OPG’s refurbished Darlington-1 begins Co-60 production

February 3, 2025, 7:02AMNuclear News
OPG and Nordion employees at Darlington’s recently refurbished Unit 1, which has been modified to produce cobalt-60 isotopes. (Photo: OPG)

Ontario Power Generation in Canada announced that Unit 1 of its Darlington nuclear power plant, which has returned to service from refurbishment, is now producing the medical isotope cobalt-60. During refurbishment activities, OPG made modifications to the unit to allow it to produce Co-60, which is used to sterilize 30 percent of the world’s single-use medical devices, such as syringes, gloves, and implants.