Historic: US and Britain to sign nuclear energy deal

The United States and Britain will sign a groundbreaking agreement this week that will boost nuclear power in the UK, paving the way for a "golden age" of this energy source.

The announcement was made ahead of President Donald Trump's state visit to London, which begins Tuesday. The pact, called the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy, will be signed during the trip and seeks to strengthen collaboration between the two countries.

“This landmark UK-US nuclear partnership is not just about powering our homes, it’s about powering our economy, our communities, and our ambition,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

He added that these 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.”

For his part, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright emphasized, "Today's commercial deals set up a framework to unleash commercial access in both the U.S. and UK, enhancing global energy security, strengthening U.S. energy dominance, and securing nuclear supply chains across the Atlantic," and described the pact as the "ushering in a true nuclear renaissance."

The details of the agreement

Britain's Department of Energy Security and Net Zero indicated that it will include new agreements between companies in both countries to accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants. A move intended to halve the licensing time for nuclear projects, from three or four years to just two, by facilitating mutual regulatory approvals.

Among the notable projects announced was the alliance between U.S. reactor manufacturer X-energy and Britain's Centrica to erect up to 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, a port city in the east of the country, south of Newcastle.

X-Energy estimated through a release that this initial phase of the transatlantic alliance is worth at least 54 billion, and detailed, "Our partnership with X-Energy marks a bold step forward in delivering advanced nuclear technology that is not only scalable and secure, but also vital to clean industry and powering homes," Chris O'Shea, chief executive officer of Centrica, said.

While X-Energy CEO J. Clay Sell noted, "Our partnership with Centrica represents a commitment to bring X-Energy's industry-leading advanced nuclear technology to the U.K. at scale. Together, we aim to build a fleet that has the ability to reliably deliver clean power, strengthen energy security, and grow the trans-Atlantic economy for decades to come. We believe Hartlepool is the right place to begin this journey, with an established industry and a base of professionals and services who can help drive the next generation of nuclear forward."