UK and US firms announce deals in new 'golden age' of nuclear power ahead of Trump visit

The premier curate has hailed a caller "golden age" of atomic powerfulness arsenic British and US companies denote 5 caller commercialized deals, up of the US president's authorities sojourn this week.

The plans see a caller atomic powerfulness works successful Hartlepool utilizing latent, perchance cheaper exertion and information centres powered by mini reactors successful Nottinghamshire.

Officials person been hurrying to coordinate the agreements earlier President Donald Trump jets successful connected Tuesday, with the 2 leaders expected to motion disconnected connected multibillion-pound tech deals arsenic good arsenic a revamped statement to enactment unneurotic connected atomic power.

They anticipation the caller Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy volition velocity up notoriously dilatory atomic projects successful some countries by slashing reddish portion and aligning information standards.

Both governments are betting large connected atomic to conscionable rising energy request and AI's voracious appetite for energy, portion Sir Keir Starmer hopes it volition boost jobs, maturation and manufacturing successful erstwhile concern heartlands.

The 2 leaders volition besides beryllium hoping the high-profile sojourn volition shingle disconnected past week's ungraded implicit revelations of the ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson's links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Mr Trump's ain relation is being scrutinised.

The jewel of today's announcements is the program to regenerate the outgoing Hartlepool atomic powerfulness plant, which expires successful 2028, with a caller works of up to 960MW utilizing caller "advanced modular reactor" (AMR) technology.

The AMR designer, US steadfast X-Energy, signed a Joint Development Agreement with British Gas-owner Centrica to physique and money the fleet, which they said would make 2,500 operation jobs and support hundreds erstwhile up and moving successful the 2030s.

What are precocious modular reactors?

Advanced oregon tiny modular reactors (AMR oregon SMR) are new, tiny atomic powerfulness plants hoped to beryllium quicker and faster to physique than accepted technology, specified arsenic that utilized astatine the delayed and overbudget Hinkley and Sizewell sites.

Around 80 designs are successful improvement globally and they person agelong been promised but hardly materialised.

Read more: Why the UK has warmed up to atomic powerfulness again

Industry says SMRs are yet astir to breakthrough, fixed governments' renewed appetite for atomic powerfulness to conscionable vigor information concerns, increasing energy demands and clime targets to signifier retired polluting fossil fuels.

Why tech giants emotion caller atomic technology

Tech giants are besides bare for SMRs to powerfulness booming AI information centres, which request the benignant of clean, steady, 24/7 vigor atomic tin provide.

Today EDF announced early-stage plans with US atomic vigor steadfast Holtec to physique information centres powered by SMRs astatine the erstwhile Cottam coal-fired powerfulness presumption successful Nottinghamshire. If it goes ahead, it would beryllium worthy £11bn and make thousands of jobs during construction.

These caller reactors request a benignant of substance (High-assay low-enriched uranium oregon HALEU) that is lone disposable to bargain commercially from Russia and China.

Anxious astir vigor security, the UK authorities has been backing a institution called Urenco to physique a HALEU installation successful Cheshire.

Urenco has besides announced a £4m woody to merchantability that substance to the US market, wherever it is besides exploring different manufacturing site.

Two further deals to travel retired contiguous impact a micro works to powerfulness London Gateway Port and the scouting of sites for atomic reactors designed by Bill Gates's Terrapower.

The quality has been welcomed by manufacture and the national Prospect.

Tom Greatrex, main enforcement of the UK's Nuclear Industry Association, said: "These deals are hugely invited and physique connected a summertime of grounds authorities concern successful atomic which is driving an concern revival, creating thousands of high-value jobs, and strengthening the UK's vigor security."

But critics pass the caller exertion volition inactive beryllium costly and slow, arguing the wealth should alternatively wage for renewables, batteries and insulating homes to trim vigor request successful the archetypal place. They besides fearfulness Britain's disposal facilities can't header with the atomic waste.

US promises 'nuclear renaissance'

Sir Keir said the "landmark UK-US atomic partnership" would "drive down household bills successful the agelong run, portion delivering thousands of bully jobs successful the abbreviated term".

"Together with the US, we're gathering a aureate property of atomic that puts some countries astatine the forefront of planetary innovation and investment," helium added.

US vigor caput Chris Wright hailed a "true atomic renaissance - harnessing the powerfulness of commercialized atomic to conscionable rising vigor request and substance the AI revolution".

"Meeting this request volition necessitate beardown partnerships with our allies astir the satellite and robust collaboration with backstage assemblage innovators," helium said.

"Today's commercialized deals acceptable up a model to unleash commercialized entree successful some the US and UK, enhancing planetary vigor security, strengthening US vigor dominance, and securing atomic proviso chains crossed the Atlantic."

Andrew Bowie, shadiness vigor minister, said: "All these announcements are simply gathering connected the beardown bequest near by the erstwhile Conservative authorities who kick-started the atomic revolution successful the UK."