The launch of AlphaOne was marked with presentations of the plans and serving of marzipan cake at Bilfinger's administration building on April 9.
- An EPCM contract includes "engineering, procurement, and construction management." In practice, this means we will ensure that the process works in a factory, says Sven Halvorsen, Bilfinger's project manager for AlphaOne. - We are a team of around 10 employees, and our delivery constitutes about half of Thor Medical's investment in the project. We will provide engineering, project management, and partial construction follow-up when the process plant is installed.
The process plant will be located in a building from the 1960s in Herøya Industrial Park, and the property company in the park is responsible for the building-related deliveries.
Building within a Building
- The process itself is relatively simple, says project manager Halvorsen. - The complexity lies in building a structure inside an existing building, which will be rehabilitated. Additionally, it is new for us to work with radioactivity, so in that area, we rely on Thor Medical's expertise.
Coordinating all activities is also challenging, especially since AlphaOne is expected to be completed and deliver medical products in the third quarter of 2026.
- This is an important project for us to be involved in, says Halvorsen. - It is exciting to be part of building the first plant of this type here in the industrial park.
Pilot Plant at Herøya
Thor Medical has developed a groundbreaking production process for alpha emitters based on naturally occurring thorium. These isotopes are central to the next generation of cancer treatment, which utilizes alpha radiation to destroy cancer cells while precisely sparing healthy tissue.
Thor Medical has operated a pilot plant for refining thorium in the same building where AlphaOne is now being built. Bilfinger was involved in the construction of the pilot plant in 2024.
