More on Australia's expansion of isotope production

More on Australia's expansion of isotope production: this is a country with vision and will to make it happen: http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NN-Australia_to_expand_isotope_production-0310124.html Ansto CEO Adi Paterson: "Already Ansto produces half a million doses of nuclear medicine a year which we distribute to more than 200 hospitals and medical centres... Through the expansion enabled by this plan, Ansto will go from supplying the medicine one in two Australians need, to significantly contributing to the global nuclear medicine community along with its partners."

"Minister for science and research Chris Evans recently announced a A$168 million ($172 million) investment plan to construct a nuclear medicine manufacturing plant at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation's (Ansto's) Lucas Heights site near Sydney, where the low-enriched uranium Open Pool Australian Lightwater (Opal) reactor is in operation.
The nuclear medicine manufacturing plant will mainly produce molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the source of technetium-99 (Tc-99), which is used for diagnosis of heart disease, cancers, and kidney and gastrointestinal tract disorders. Today is an important day for the 550,000 people who require a nuclear medicine procedure in Australia each year, as well as the 45 million people across the globe who will be able to access Australian-produced nuclear medicine," Evans said. This initiative will help meet 25% of the world's needs for Mo-99. The plan, Evans noted, would create some 250 jobs and "deliver a $1 billion return to Australia.""

Remarkable it will go to full production in 2016: "Planning for the nuclear medicine manufacturing plant and Synroc plant is already underway, with construction set to start in 2014. Full production is expected to start in 2016."