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UK and US unveil nuclear energy deal ahead of Trump visit UK and US unveil nuclear energy deal ahead of Trump visit
(about 4 hours later)
The UK and US are set to sign an agreement aimed at accelerating the development of nuclear power. The UK and US are set to sign an agreement focused on accelerating the development of nuclear power.
The move aims to generate thousands of jobs and strengthen Britain's energy security. The agreement aims to generate thousands of jobs and strengthen Britain's energy security.
It is expected to be signed off during US President Donald Trump's state visit this week, with both sides hoping it will unlock billions in private investment.It is expected to be signed off during US President Donald Trump's state visit this week, with both sides hoping it will unlock billions in private investment.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the two nations were "building a golden age of nuclear" that would put them at the "forefront of global innovation". However, the designs behind some of the deals are relatively new and it could take many years before the nuclear projects generate energy for homes and businesses.
The government has said that generating more nuclear power can cut household energy bills, create jobs, boost energy security and tackle climate change. The key focus of the so-called Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy is to make it quicker for companies to build new nuclear power stations in both the UK and the US.
The new agreement, known as the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy, aims to make it quicker for companies to build new nuclear power stations in both the UK and the US. The hope is to halve the time it takes to gain regulatory approval for nuclear projects from up to four years to two.
It will streamline regulatory approvals, cutting the average licensing period for nuclear projects from up to four years to just two. In practice, it means that if a reactor has already passed safety checks in one country, that work can be used to support the work of the other.
'Nuclear renaissance' The UK's nuclear programme already includes plans for small modular reactors (SMRs), which are a scaled-down version of larger plants. Britain's engineering firm Rolls Royce has been selected to design and build the first in the country.
The deal is also aimed at increasing commercial partnerships between UK and US companies, with a number of deals set to be announced. One of the commercial deals set to be signed this week is with US nuclear group X-Energy and the UK's Centrica, which owns British Gas, to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors (AMRs) in Hartlepool.
Key among the plans is a proposal from US nuclear group X-Energy and UK energy company Centrica to build up to 12 advanced modular nuclear reactors in Hartlepool, with the potential to power 1.5 million homes and create up to 2,500 jobs. Unlike SMRs, which are water-cooled nuclear reactors, advanced modular reactors use gases such as helium as a coolant.
The broader programme could be worth up to £40bn, with £12bn focused in the north east of England. There are very few AMRs in the world operating on a commercial basis such as China's HTR-PM reactor.
"It's great that we can co-operate with our friends in the US and help build up the expertise we've got in the UK and US to speed things up," the chief executive of Centrica, Chris O'Shea, told the BBC's Today programme. X-Energy wants to build one in the US but, after announcing a partnership with US chemicals and plastics giant Dow in 2021, it has taken until March this year to submit a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the project in Texas.
He said he expected the nuclear power expansion to "bring very stable prices to UK consumers" in the long term. X-Energy has said it hopes the reactor at a Dow site could be a blueprint for others and "manufacturers worldwide could replicate this model".
"This will allow more people to have certainty around their energy costs and allow them to plan better." The government said the Hartlepool deal has the potential to power 1.5 million homes and create up to 2,500 jobs.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) work on the same principle as large reactors, using a nuclear reaction to generate heat that produces electricity.
However, they are smaller, with up to a third of the generating output of a typical large reactor.
The modular element means they would be built to order in factories - as a kit of parts - then transported and fitted together, like a flat-packed power station. However, the SMR industry is still young, and many different designs are being investigated.
Other plans under the UK-US agreement include multinational firms such as Last Energy and DP World working together on a micro modular reactor at the London Gateway port. This is backed by £80m in private investment.
Elsewhere, Holtec, EDF and Tritax are also planning to repurpose the former Cottam coal-fired plant in Nottinghamshire as a nuclear-powered data centre hub.
This project is estimated to be worth £11bn and could create thousands of high-skilled construction jobs, as well as permanent jobs in long-term operations.
Beyond power generation, the new partnership includes collaboration on fusion energy research and an end to UK and US reliance on Russian nuclear material by 2028.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "Nuclear will power our homes with clean, homegrown energy and the private sector is building it in Britain, delivering growth and well-paid, skilled jobs for working people."Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "Nuclear will power our homes with clean, homegrown energy and the private sector is building it in Britain, delivering growth and well-paid, skilled jobs for working people."
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the agreement would bring about a "nuclear renaissance", adding that it would enhance energy security and meet growing global power demands, particularly from AI and data infrastructure. But Greenpeace questioned the UK's focus on nuclear power.
Sir Keir has previously said he wants the UK to return to being "one of the world leaders on nuclear". "If these proposals for new reactors scattered around Britain really materialise, the net effect will be higher bills from nuclear's relentlessly spiralling costs, and more CO2 as we wait for the builders to overcome their inevitable construction delays," said Dr Douglas Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK.
The cost of building large nuclear plants in the UK, such as Sizewell C in Suffolk, has jumped to £38bn from a previous estimate of £20bn. Centrica is one of the key investors in Sizewell C.
SMRs work on the same principle as large reactors, using a nuclear reaction to generate heat that produces electricity, but have around a third of the generating output.
The modular element means they could be built to order in factories - as a kit of parts - then transported and fitted together, like a flat-packed power station.
However, the SMR industry is still young, and many different designs are being investigated.
Centrica's chief executive Chris O'Shea told the BBC's Today programme that increased costs and delays "can happen in all large projects".
But he said: "What you need to do is you need to do more than just one every 20 years in order to get better. So, the more you practice, the better you get which is why small and advanced modular reactors are particularly interesting because they'll be repetitive so you'll produce the same thing over and over again.
"That should bring improvements both in terms of cost and schedule and reliability and cost as well."
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he wants the UK to return to being "one of the world leaders on nuclear".
In the 1990s, nuclear power generated about 25% of the UK's electricity but that figure has fallen to around 15%, with no new power stations built since then and many of the country's ageing reactors due to be decommissioned over the next decade.In the 1990s, nuclear power generated about 25% of the UK's electricity but that figure has fallen to around 15%, with no new power stations built since then and many of the country's ageing reactors due to be decommissioned over the next decade.
In November 2024, the UK and 30 other countries signed a global pledge to triple their nuclear capacity by 2050.In November 2024, the UK and 30 other countries signed a global pledge to triple their nuclear capacity by 2050.
Earlier this year, the government announced a deal with private investors to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk.
Its nuclear programme also includes the UK's first small modular reactors (SMRs), which will be built by UK firm Rolls Royce.