The U.S. Department of Energy has issued a conditional commitment for up to $263 million in financing to SHINE Chrysalis LLC to support construction of a medical isotope production facility in Janesville, Wisconsin.

The planned facility, known as Chrysalis, is designed to produce molybdenum-99, a precursor to technetium-99m, which is widely used in diagnostic imaging. Tc-99m is used in tens of thousands of procedures daily in the United States, according to federal data. Much of the current supply of Mo-99 is sourced from outside the U.S., creating potential vulnerabilities in availability.

SHINE intends to use a combination of fusion and fission processes to manufacture the isotope domestically. The project aims to establish a commercial U.S.-based supply of Mo-99, which has historically relied on aging international reactors and limited production capacity.
The Janesville facility is already partially constructed and has received technical and financial support over more than a decade from the National Nuclear Security Administration and U.S. national laboratories. Federal officials said the additional financing could help complete the project and move it toward commercial operations.

“The SHINE Chrysalis project is vital to improving the nuclear supply chain and contributing to a strong next-generation nuclear workforce while onshoring this critical production and improving national security,” said Gregory A. Beard, director of the DOE’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing.

Dr. Matthew Napoli, deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation at NNSA, said the project could reduce reliance on foreign-produced isotopes and expand domestic capacity. “The EDF conditional loan will get this project across the finish line,” he said.

The DOE noted that the commitment is conditional and subject to technical, legal, environmental and financial requirements before funds are disbursed. The project is also expected to support construction and operational jobs once completed.

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