Eden Radioisotopes, an Albuquerque-based medical isotopes company, will invest up to $1.4 billion to build a production facility in Lea County, backed by the State of New Mexico.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
September 24, 2026
New Mexico backs $1.4 billion medical isotope project
Project will strengthen America’s medical supply chain, add 205 New Mexico jobs
SANTA FE — Eden Radioisotopes, an Albuquerque-based medical isotopes company, will invest up to $1.4 billion to build a production facility in Lea County, backed by the State of New Mexico.
The project represents North America’s first purpose-built medical isotope production reactor and processing facility, making it a lynchpin in America’s medical supply chain. The facility will be used to produce isotopes used in diagnostic imaging and cancer treatment, helping doctors find disease at the cellular level and deliver targeted care.
Economic Development New Mexico is backing the expansion through the state’s Job Training Incentive Program, the high wage and rural job tax credits and LEDA GRT Share. The project is expected to generate more than $1.5 billion in economic impact over 10 years.
Every day, more than 40,000 procedures in the U.S. use medical isotopes, yet our country is dependent on aging reactors and overseas production for much of its supply. Outages and other disruptions can put these fragile supply lines at risk. Eden’s project will help bring more of that production home, ensuring a dependable supply of medical isotopes for patients and doctors across the country.
“This is a win for New Mexico’s economy and for American healthcare,” said Economic Development Secretary Rob Black. “We’re bringing high-wage jobs to New Mexico while helping build a more reliable supply of critical medical isotopes.”
“We’re proud to build this critical medical isotope capacity here in New Mexico, a state with a long history of nuclear innovation,” said Carrie Freeman, CEO of Eden Radioisotopes. “This project will create high-quality jobs for New Mexicans while helping ensure patients across the United States have reliable access to the medical isotopes they need for lifesaving diagnosis and treatment.”
The project will create 205 jobs statewide, including 146 jobs in Lea County, 200 of which are tied to manufacturing. Phase 1, expected to be operational in 2030, will create 125 jobs, followed by 80 more jobs with the addition of a second reactor.
The jobs will include nuclear engineers, reactor operators, radiation safety professionals, skilled technicians and other specialized positions.
The project also builds on New Mexico’s long history of nuclear innovation. Eden’s reactor technology is based on research developed at Sandia National Laboratories, while New Mexico’s universities — including the University of New Mexico, which pioneered nuclear medicine work beginning in the 1970s — will help develop the skilled workforce needed for the industry’s future.
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