Infrastructure

Belgian Reactor 1 (BR1) was the first research reactor in Belgium. In that air-cooled graphite reactor, in 1956 we originally researched reactor and neutron physics and produced radioisotopes. Now, the reactor is used at the request of other research centres, universities and the industry to irradiate components, calibrate measurement instruments and train nuclear experts.

The Belgian Reactor 2 is indispensable in the supply of medical radioisotopes. BR2 produces 25% to 65% of the global demand for the radioisotope molybdenum-99, used for cancer diagnosis. To analyse material aging, we subject nuclear fuels and materials to intense radiation. We do so with BR2 – one of the most powerful research reactors in the world.

BR3 is a true pioneer. Not only was it the first pressurised water reactor in Europe – it was also the first dismantled pressurised water reactor in Europe. While it first served as a model for the construction of the Doel and Tihange nuclear reactors, the reactor is becoming a key player again with the demolition and dismantling of similar nuclear facilities on the horizon.

Investigate the disposal of radioactive waste in a deep clay layer? To do so, we dive 225 metres underground, to the underground lab HADES. More than forty years of research shows that geological disposal in a deep clay layer is safe and feasible. The underground laboratory HADES falls under the management of ESV EURIDICE, an economic interest group between SCK CEN and ONDRAF/NIRAS, the National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials.

LHMA consists of a number of facilities for handling highly radioactive and/or toxic materials. Here you will find robotic arms, glove boxes and hot cells: equipment for testing materials and preparing, conditioning and storing samples.

The research reactor VENUS (Vulcan Experimental Nuclear Study) has served as a flexible, experimental facility for reactor systems and testing reactor calculations since 1964. In 2007, SCK CEN decided to convert the VENUS reactor into a mini-version of Accelerator Driven Systems. The successful conversion is an important link in the development of MYRRHA and future reactor systems, such as lead-cooled Small Modular Reactors.

From 2024

The MaT building is a high-tech innovation hub and dismantling workshop: the ideal place for SCK CEN to grow into the best dismantling partner at home and abroad. There, through our own R&D projects, we are building on the expertise already gained during the dismantling of BR3, but also opening the doors to partners.

From 2026

The CRF building plays a prominent role in the production of therapeutic radioisotopes and radiopharmaceuticals. In other words: a key player in the medical world.
By 2025, the CRF facility will provide, among other things, an annual supply of high-quality lutetium-177 for the treatment of over 15,000 cancer patients in Europe. By 2030, this figure is expected to rise to as many as 60,000 patients.

From 2026

At the RECUMO facility, SCK CEN converts radioactive residues from irradiated targets for molybdenum-99 production into low-enriched uranium. In this way, we are contributing to the security of supply of medical radioisotopes.

From 2035 - 2040

YRRHA will be a unique facility in which research will be conducted into 4 applications: less toxic nuclear waste through transmutation, the production of medical radioisotopes, new reactor concepts and fundamental research. This is made possible with special technology: a particle accelerator driving a reactor with lead-bismuth as coolant, which means MYRRHA is an Accelerator Driven System (ADS), a research reactor powered by a particle accelerator: MINERVA.

From 2035 - 2040

With the construction of a Belgian demonstration model of a first lead-cooled Small Modular Reactor, SCK CEN wants to contribute to the sustainable, climate-neutral energy supply of the future.