The prime minister has hailed a new “golden age” of nuclear power as British and US companies announce five new commercial deals, ahead of the US president’s state visit this week.
The plans include a new nuclear power plant in Hartlepool using latent, potentially cheaper technology and data centres powered by mini reactors in Nottinghamshire.
Officials have been hurrying to coordinate the agreements before President Donald Trump jets in on Tuesday, with the two leaders expected to sign off on multibillion-pound tech deals as well as a revamped agreement to work together on nuclear power.
They hope the new Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy will speed up notoriously slow nuclear projects in both countries by slashing red tape and aligning safety standards.
Both governments are betting big on nuclear to meet rising electricity demand and AI’s voracious appetite for energy, while Sir Keir Starmer hopes it will boost jobs, growth and manufacturing in former industrial heartlands.
The two leaders will also be hoping the high-profile visit will shake off last week’s scandal over revelations of the ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson’s links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Mr Trump’s own association is being scrutinised.
The jewel of today’s announcements is the plan to replace the outgoing Hartlepool nuclear power plant, which expires in 2028, with a new plant of up to 960MW using new “advanced modular reactor” (AMR) technology.
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The AMR designer, US firm X-Energy, signed a Joint Development Agreement with British Gas-owner Centrica to build and fund the fleet, which they said would generate 2,500 construction jobs and maintain hundreds when up and running in the 2030s.
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What are advanced modular reactors?
Advanced or small modular reactors (AMR or SMR) are new, small nuclear power plants hoped to be quicker and faster to build than traditional technology, such as that used at the delayed and overbudget Hinkley and Sizewell sites.
Around 80 designs are in development globally and they have long been promised but barely materialised.
Read more: Why the UK has warmed up to nuclear power again
Industry says SMRs are finally about to breakthrough, given governments’ renewed appetite for nuclear power to meet energy security concerns, growing electricity demands and climate targets to phase out polluting fossil fuels.
Why tech giants love new nuclear technology
Tech giants are also hungry for SMRs to power booming AI data centres, which need the kind of clean, steady, 24/7 energy nuclear can provide.
Today EDF announced early-stage plans with US nuclear energy firm Holtec to build data centres powered by SMRs at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire. If it goes ahead, it would be worth £11bn and create thousands of jobs during construction.
These new reactors need a type of fuel (High-assay low-enriched uranium or HALEU) that is only available to buy commercially from Russia and China.
Anxious about energy security, the UK government has been funding a company called Urenco to build a HALEU facility in Cheshire.
Urenco has also announced a £4m deal to sell that fuel to the US market, where it is also exploring another manufacturing site.
Two further deals to come out today involve a micro plant to power London Gateway Port and the scouting of sites for nuclear reactors designed by Bill Gates’s Terrapower.
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The news has been welcomed by industry and the union Prospect.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the UK’s Nuclear Industry Association, said: “These deals are hugely welcome and build on a summer of record government investment in nuclear which is driving an industrial revival, creating thousands of high-value jobs, and strengthening the UK’s energy security.”
But critics warn the new technology will still be expensive and slow, arguing the money should instead pay for renewables, batteries and insulating homes to reduce energy demand in the first place. They also fear Britain’s disposal facilities can’t cope with the nuclear waste.
US promises ‘nuclear renaissance’
Sir Keir said the “landmark UK-US nuclear partnership” would “drive down household bills in the long run, while delivering thousands of good jobs in the short term”.
“Together with the US, we’re building a golden age of nuclear that puts both countries at the forefront of global innovation and investment,” he added.
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US energy secretary Chris Wright hailed a “true nuclear renaissance – harnessing the power of commercial nuclear to meet rising energy demand and fuel the AI revolution”.
“Meeting this demand will require strong partnerships with our allies around the world and robust collaboration with private sector innovators,” he said.
“Today’s commercial deals set up a framework to unleash commercial access in both the US and UK, enhancing global energy security, strengthening US energy dominance, and securing nuclear supply chains across the Atlantic.”
Andrew Bowie, shadow energy minister, 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.”
