Battelle Energy Alliance has begun contract negotiations with a team led by Bechtel National Inc and including TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy to support the design and build phase of the Versatile Test Reactor. The reactor will be a one-of-a-kind facility that would support research and development of innovative, clean nuclear energy technologies.

In order to secure the economic and security benefits of a true 'all-of-the-above' energy agenda, the United States must be at the forefront of nuclear innovation, writes Dan Brouillette. The following is the text of the US secretary of energy's 21 August blog for the Department of Energy.

The foreign ministers of the UK, France and Germany - the E3 - have issued a statement in response to the US administration's letter to the UN Security Council yesterday, requesting to initiate the 'snapback' mechanism of the Iran nuclear deal signed five years ago. This mechanism allows a party to the agreement - the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - to seek the re-imposition against Iran of the multilateral sanctions lifted in 2015 in accordance with resolution 2231, adopted by the UN Security Council.

The US Department of Energy has authorised the start of 'hot' or radioactive operations at the Salt Waste Processing Facility at its Savannah River Site. The first-of-a-kind facility will process 31 million gallons (117 million litres) of radioactive salt waste currently stored in underground tanks at the South Carolina location.

The final canister of used fuel from the shut-down San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has now been transferred into dry storage, marking a milestone for the decommissioning of the California site.

Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation of the USA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with South Korea's Hyundai Engineering and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. The five-year agreement outlines goals for development of technologies that enhance the ability of the USNC Micro Modular Reactor to produce and deliver carbon-free power, heat and hydrogen.

Virginia's 38-year-old moratorium on uranium mining will continue following a district court ruling in a case challenging its constitutionality. Virginia Uranium Inc first brought the state suit in 2015 in its effort to mine what it claims is the largest known uranium deposit in the USA.

Exports of nuclear energy equipment and technology to meet the needs projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change could be worth USD1.3-1.9 trillion to the USA over the period to 2050, a new report by consulting firm UxC has concluded.

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover successfully launched today from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The rover, which will be powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator developed at the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, will land on Mars to begin exploration in February 2021.

The US Senate has passed the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA) after it was included as an amendment to an act authorising defence appropriations and policies for fiscal 2021. NELA aims to re-establish US leadership in nuclear energy, with a focus on the demonstration of advanced reactors.

Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, the managing and operating contractor for the US Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, has issued a request for information on a fission surface power system that can be operated on the Moon.

The USA has lifted its legacy prohibition on funding nuclear energy projects overseas. The US International Development Finance Corporation changed its Environmental and Social Policy and Procedures following a 30-day public consultation period.