250,000-Square-Foot Build-to-Suit Manufacturing Facility to Anchor Innovation Campus at the 1,300-Acre Transformational Site in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 17, 2026 – Today,Governor Josh Shapiro announced the Commonwealth has secured a $450 million investment from nuclear science company TerraPower Isotopes to establish a radioisotope manufacturing facility in Philadelphia that supports the development of cancer-fighting drugs. The Commonwealth is investing $10 million to support this project, which will create 225 new full-time jobs over the next three years.
TerraPower Isotopes (TPI) will lease a 250,000-square-foot, build-to-suit facility in The Bellwether District of Philadelphia and produce actinium-225 for use in the development of cancer treatments. TPI becomes another major tenant at The Bellwether District, a 1,300-acre state-of-the-art commercial redevelopment project underway in South and Southwest Philadelphia that is reimagining the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery into a hub for economic development, advanced manufacturing, and innovation.
Before selecting The Bellwether District, TPI evaluated over 350 potential sites across the United States in a rigorous site selection process that included 49 site visits in eight metropolitan areas.
"Pennsylvania is competing again and winning major deals – this investment in The Bellwether District will create tens of thousand of jobs and real economic opportunity throughout the Greater Philadelphia region," said Governor Shapiro. "Companies are choosing to grow here because we’ve put a real strategy in place – the first comprehensive economic development plan in two decades – and we’re delivering results but cutting red tape, investing in key industries like life sciences, and strengthening our workforce. Pennsylvania is here to win, and we will continue to aggressively pursue projects like this that bring jobs, innovation and help the Commonwealth continue to lead the way in life sciences."
TerraPower Isotopes received a funding proposal from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a $7 million grant through the PA SITES (Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites) Program, and a $3 million Pennsylvania First grant. The company is also eligible to apply for the Manufacturing Tax Credit program and the Qualified Manufacturing and Innovation Reinvestment Deduction program, which could provide significant tax savings.
Additionally, because The Bellwether District is located in a Keystone Opportunity Zone with a term that runs through 2043, the company will also receive those additional tax benefits. The Commonwealth has also invested an additional $40 million in Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Funds to support improvements to state roadways to facilitate the integration of The Bellwether District into the surrounding transportation network.
"TerraPower Isotopes’ decision to locate its flagship East Coast facility at The Bellwether District is a major win for Philadelphia," said Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. "This investment will create hundreds of good-paying jobs, strengthen our advanced manufacturing and life sciences sectors, and expand economic opportunity. Exciting things are coming to South Philly, and we are just getting started. This means more economic mobility for Philadelphians."
"As Council President and the Council member representing The Bellwether District, I’m proud to see this space continue to attract transformative investment to South and Southwest Philadelphia," said Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson. "TerraPower Isotopes’ groundbreaking new facility will create good-paying permanent jobs, strong opportunities for our skilled building trades, and place Philadelphia at the forefront of innovation."
TerraPower Isotopes is a mission-driven organization that focuses on solving global challenges using nuclear science. The company applies innovative expertise and proven development methods to providing a secure isotope supply chain for targeted alpha therapies development. TerraPower Isotopes is increasing global access to actinium-225, supporting the drug development industry by producing advanced radioisotope generators that enable the efficient and automated extraction of rare isotopes with life-saving potential.
"Today marks a major milestone for TerraPower Isotopes and for the future of precision medicine. This new facility is a testament to the demand for actinium-225 as part of the growing industry which is transforming how cancer is treated," said Scott Claunch, President of TerraPower Isotopes. "Our team is proud to be building a large-scale cGMP manufacturing facility in Philadelphia. which will play a pivotal role in expanding global access to this rare isotope."
TPI’s development of an East Coast manufacturing facility, along with expanding capacity in its existing Everett, Washington facility will increase production capacity 20-fold and position the company as the premier global distributor of actinium-225. TPI’s actinium-225 is currently being utilized in human clinical trials around the world. This new cGMP Bellwether Laboratory will further expand actinium-225 supply reliability and increase production levels to support global drug needs for the next decade.
"The Bellwether District was designed for companies operating at the frontier of scientific innovation and advanced manufacturing," said Roberto E. Perez, Chief Executive Officer of HRP Group. "With TerraPower Isotopes establishing its flagship East Coast facility here, Bellwether is becoming the crown jewel in our platform and a place where the world’s most innovative companies can build, scale, and define the industries of the future."
The Bellwether District is a project of HRP Group (HRP), a vertically integrated real estate investment company focused on the transformation of complex industrial sites. HRP is transforming the former industrial site into a global model of sustainable development and design. Comprising nearly 2 percent of the city’s landmass, the site is less than three miles from Center City, Philadelphia International Airport, I-95, and I-76, and less than five miles from PhilaPort, with connectivity to existing rail and maritime infrastructure. Last December, canned beverage manufacturer DrinkPAK announced that they are establishing a 1.4-million square-foot manufacturing facility in The Bellwether District that will serve as the company’s flagship manufacturing facility on the East Coast.
"TPI’s decision to choose The Bellwether District for their flagship manufacturing facility is a generational opportunity for Philadelphia and Pennsylvania to be at the forefront of an emerging cancer-curing industry that has the potential to materially alter the course of modern medicine," said Andrew Chused, Chief Investment Officer of HRP Group. "This investment is validation of our belief in the strength of Philadelphia’s fundamentals and positions The Bellwether District for exponential growth as a premier global innovation ecosystem."
Philadelphia is an emerging powerhouse for radiopharmaceutical innovation, offering one of the most diverse and connected ecosystems in the US and ranking in the Top 5 US metros for radiopharmaceutical and theranostic clinical trials, the Top 5 for life sciences R&D talent, and the Top 10 for life sciences manufacturing and med tech talent. The region is home to globally recognized medical institutions, four NCI-designated cancer centers, and a highly competitive, skilled workforce with a robust training pipeline. TPI’s location in Philadelphia is a groundbreaking accelerator to this emerging industry cluster.
JLL Executive Managing Director Ron Cariola and Senior Managing Director Tyler Vandegrift represented TerraPower Isotopes, and Managing Director Joe Colletti represented HRP in the lease.
"TerraPower Isotopes conducted a comprehensive nationwide evaluation of metros and potential sites with an open approach to site selection. Philadelphia emerged as the leading choice, driven by its robust pool of specialized talent and proximity to world-class research institutions. The Bellwether District site proved ideal, and JLL is proud to have played a role in this historic site selection, which we believe will be a catalyst for regional growth and economic opportunity for years to come," said Tyler Vandegrift and Ron Cariola of JLL in a joint statement.
The Bellwether District currently has 325,659 square foot and 727,272 square foot newly built Class-A warehouse buildings available for lease, with additional build-to-suit opportunities available. A 1.4 million square foot build-to-suit manufacturing facility is under construction and will be occupied in Q4 2026. Buildings at The Bellwether District are provided with extensive new infrastructure, extraordinary access to over 47 million consumers within a 4-hour drive time, and significant incentives. At full build, HRP Group plans to deliver more than 14 million square feet of new, innovation industrial space at The Bellwether District.
About TerraPower Isotopes
TerraPower Isotopes (TPI) is a mission-driven organization, founded by Bill Gates and a group of likeminded visionaries to solve global challenges using nuclear science. The TPI team applies innovative expertise and proven development methods to providing a secure isotope supply chain for targeted alpha therapies development. TerraPower Isotopes is increasing global access to Actinium-225, supporting industry by developing advanced radioisotope generators that enable the efficient and automated extraction of rare isotopes with life-saving potential.
About The Bellwether District
The Bellwether District is a 1300-acre state-of-the-art industrial and innovation campus in South and Southwest Philadelphia. HRP Group is transforming the former industrial site into a global model of sustainable development and design. For more information about The Bellwether District, visit www.thebellwetherdistrict.com.
About HRP Group
HRP Group is a vertically integrated, multi-strategy real estate investment company specializing in the transformation of obsolete industrial sites into modern logistics infrastructure, mixed-use destinations, and pioneering innovation hubs. The firm takes a holistic approach to value creation that prioritizes community, environmental, and economic sustainability. For more information, visit www.hrpgroup.com.
