DOE IRP Marks Construction Milestone for Stable Isotope Production and Research Center at ORNL
DOE Office of Isotope R&D and Production and ORNL staff gather for a group photo at the Stable Isotope Production and Research Center (SIPRC) construction site during a tour.
Staff from DOE’s Office of Isotope R&D and Production (IRP), including Director Christopher Landers, toured the site of the future Stable Isotope Production and Research Center (SIPRC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). During the visit, they signed the final structural beam that was hoisted in a Topping-Out ceremony by contractor Hensel Phelps.
The United States has had no existing domestic broad-scope enrichment capability since the 1990s, and stockpiles of previously produced isotopes are being depleted.
The $325 million SIPRC project, slated for completion in Spring 2027, will establish the capability to produce stable isotopes on a large scale. This capability will address America’s increasing demands for isotopes in medicine, industry, research, and national security. As a reliable supply of isotopes, SIPRC will strengthen America’s supply chain.
SIPRC will house two types of isotope enrichment equipment that ORNL has spent more than 10 years researching, designing, and prototyping. SIPRC will be capable of simultaneously enriching multiple, stable isotopes from across the periodic table.
