Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a contract with Ukraine's Energoatom, for the supply of VVER-440 fuel for the Rovno nuclear power plant. They have also signed a Letter of Intent on further exploring localisation of fuel assembly component production in Ukraine. The signing of both documents was witnessed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The USA and Bulgaria recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on civil nuclear cooperation. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov noted that nuclear energy is one of the "greenest and cleanest" energies and that is why the country wants to use "safer technology of the latest generation" and to achieve diversification of nuclear fuel.

A project to remove the last remaining batch of unirradiated highly enriched uranium fuel from Kazakhstan has been completed in a joint effort by Kazakhstan and the USA, the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration has announced. The two nations have also signed a new joint statement reaffirming their intention to continue to work together to support the common goal of minimising nuclear proliferation, ensuring nuclear security and strengthening the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
 

The US Department of Energy has approved Critical Decision 1 for the Versatile Test Reactor, meaning the project can now move to the engineering design phase. DOE has requested USD295 million for FY 2021 for the one-of-a-kind facility that would support research and development of innovative nuclear energy and other technologies.

The IAEA continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement, and evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities continue, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today in his opening address to the 64th regular session of IAEA General Conference.

A design concept for a nuclear thermal propulsion reactor to power future astronaut missions to Mars has exceeded key performance parameters and optimised the reactor for manufacturability, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems has announced. The reactor's features include a compact core thanks to the use of high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel.

TerraPower has announced plans to team with nuclear fuel and services provider Centrus Energy to establish commercial-scale, domestic production capabilities for high-assay, low-enriched uranium. This, it says, will be needed to fuel many next-generation reactor designs, including the recently announced Natrium Power Storage System designed by TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy.

The US Department of Commerce and Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom have initialled a draft amendment to extend the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation, which expires this year. The amendment, if finalised, will extend the deal to 2040 and "reduce US reliance on uranium from Russia" for the next 20 years.

Virginia, USA-based Dominion Energy has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to renew North Anna Power Station's operating licences for an additional 20-year term. Dominion says approval would mean its customers continue to receive safe, reliable, affordable and carbon-free electricity from the plant until 2060.

Excavation work has begun for a new ventilation shaft at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, USA. The start of work on the USD75 million shaft, which is integral to increasing ventilation to the WIPP underground, is a top priority project in the US Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management's plans for this year.

Integrated Resource Plans filed on 1 September by Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress demonstrate the valuable role nuclear and natural gas can play as part of a balanced portfolio, the two companies said. The plans outline a range of options to achieve varying levels of carbon reduction, including for the first time potential pathways to achieve an emissions reduction of up to 70%.

A USD600 million settlement reached by the State of South Carolina and the US Administration has brought to an end six years of litigation concerning 9.5 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium at the Savannah River Site. Under the terms of the settlement, the US Department of Energy is now obligated to remove the material by 2037.