Certification in keeping with IAEA standards:

Sri Lanka to launch first nuclear project

by Manjula Fernando

Sri Lanka will launch its first nuclear project, a multipurpose gamma radiation plant established and supervised under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), early next month.

The acquisition of atomic energy for non-destructive industrial applications had been on the cards since 2006. It was expedited and realised by Technology and Research Minister Champika Ranawaka.

The gamma irradiation plant set up in the Biyagama Investment Zone was given its first commercial job-sterilisation of a consignment of Latex surgical gloves on Friday by a local export company, Lalan Rubbers Private Ltd.

“This will be their maiden job,” the spokesperson for the Ministry, Dhanushka Ramanayake said adding that the sterilisation certification issued by the plant will be in accordance with IAEA standards.

The plant will be used to sterilise rubber products, medical equipment, food products such as rice fruits, vegetables, dry fish and Maldive fish. Lucrative markets such as the European market constrains producers to sterilise products.

Due to lack of irradiation facilities, the local rubber and food products went into the European market as unfinished products, and were sold at low prices or exported to Malaysia and Singapore for value addition and re-export which was very costly, something only a handful of businesses could do.

The spokesperson said the source for the plant, Cobalt-60 was imported from India and the technical expertise and guidance was provided by the International Atomic Agency which supervised the entire process of setting up the plant over three years.

The Atomic Energy Authority, the executing agency of the project is now under the Technology and Research Ministry.

“The gamma irradiation plant has a maximum store capacity of 3,000 kCi. However, in the first phase, the plant has been stored at 250 kCi.” The Technology and Research Ministry hopes to generate 4.4 million income per month from the plant.

The staff at the plant comprises 30 minor workers and 10 officers at present and their safety has been guaranteed by international standards.

“We hope to open our services to Small and Medium Scale industries. An awareness campaign will be launched shortly.”

“The plant will be commissioned before January 10,” the spokesperson said.