The UK and US have agreed a landmark nuclear energy partnership to be signed during Donald Trump's state visit this week. The Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy will enable deals between British and American companies to speed up the construction of nuclear power plants in both countries.
The agreement aims to slash licensing times for nuclear projects from three to four years down to roughly two years by cutting red tape and sharing regulatory workloads. If rigorous safety checks are passed in one country, they can be used to accelerate assessments in the other, particularly for advanced designs like the Rolls-Royce small modular reactor.
Sir Keir Starmer said: "This landmark UK-US nuclear partnership is not just about powering our homes, it's about powering our economy, our communities, and our ambition. These major commitments set us well on course to a golden age of nuclear that will drive down household bills in the long run, while delivering thousands of good jobs in the short term."
Major commercial deals announced
Several significant commercial agreements will be unveiled during the state visit. X-Energy and Centrica plan to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, expected to generate power for up to 1.5 million homes and create up to 2,500 jobs.
Holtec, EDF and Tritax will develop advanced data centres at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, powered by small modular reactors. Last Energy and DP World plan to establish a micro-modular nuclear power plant backed by £80 million in private investment to provide clean power for DP World's London Gateway port expansion.
Additional deals include Urenco and Radiant signing a four million dollar agreement to supply advanced HALEU fuel to the US market. TerraPower and KBR will conduct studies and evaluate UK sites for Natrium advanced reactor technology.
Strengthening the special relationship
Downing Street described the week as delivering a "step change" in the UK-US relationship, with the two nations already having more than £1.2 trillion invested in each other's economies. The Prime Minister's spokesman said the special relationship has become "one of the most enduring alliances in modern history, rooted in shared values, friendship, mutual trust and a belief in the rule of law, democracy and open markets."
Andrew Bowie, shadow minister of state for energy, said: "All these announcements are simply building on the strong legacy left by the previous Conservative government who kick-started the nuclear revolution in the UK. However we would have gone bigger and quicker."
Sam Richards, chief executive of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said: "If the new 'golden age' for nuclear power is to mean anything, we need to slash the time it takes to get reactors from the drawing board to spades in the ground so that Britain's industrial heartlands can once again thrive."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
