A raft of deals to develop new nuclear capacity have been signed ahead of President Trump’s state visit to the UK, putting the country on course for a ‘golden age’ of nuclear power.
“We’re kickstarting a golden age of nuclear in this country, joining forces with the US to turbocharge new nuclear developments and secure the technologies of the future,” UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said in a statement.
The agreement – officially known as the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy – is expected to spur a major expansion of new nuclear projects in the UK, bolstering commercial deals on small modular reactors (SMRs) between US and UK companies.
Through increased regulatory collaboration and harmonisation, the US and UK aim to accelerate the time it takes to license a new nuclear project from 3-4 years to around 24 months.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, welcomed the UK-US nuclear partnership announcement, stating: “These deals… build on a summer of record government investment in nuclear. They’re driving an industrial revival, creating thousands of high-value jobs, and strengthening the UK’s energy security.”
Here we summarise some of the recent SMR and microreactor announcements and explore how US-UK collaboration can support new nuclear development.
X-energy and Centrica look to Hartlepool
British utility Centrica has teamed up with X-energy on a joint development agreement that could see up to 12 Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) built at the existing Hartlepool nuclear site in North East England.
The project, slated to deliver £12bn ($16bn) in economic value for the region over its lifetime, could begin full-scale activities as early as next year. First electricity generation is expected in mid-2030s, subject to regulatory approvals.
Hartlepool is already designated for new nuclear build under the Government’s National Policy Statement. X-energy started early engagement with the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) in March and has signalled its intention to apply for the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of the Xe-100.
In the US, X-energy is developing its first Xe-100 plant with Dow at a manufacturing site in Texas to demonstrate industrial steam applications. It is also planning a second project with Energy Northwest in collaboration with Amazon as part of a wider plan to bring more than 5 GW of nuclear capacity online by 2039. Initially the companies are supporting construction of a four-unit 320 MWe project in central Washington.
Holtec, EDF and Tritax target data centre power at Cottam
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) between reactor developer Holtec International, EDF UK and Tritax Management envisages building SMR-300s to power new data centres at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire.
Cottam, a 2 GW coal-fired station, ceased generation in September 2019 after 51 years of continuous operation. In August, the plant broke a Guiness World Record following the demolition of its eight cooling towers simultaneously.
The proposed SMR-300s at Cottam represent “a potential $15 billion project, creating thousands of local jobs,” according to Rick Springman, president of global clean energy opportunities at Holtec.
The project will draw on lessons from Holtec’s Palisades project in Michigan, where two SMR-300s are targeting commercial operation by 2030.
The Cottam project is at an early stage, with feasibility studies and early-stage investment discussion underway. The 1GW data centre at the site is targeted to come online “by the end of the decade”. Initially, it will have a “significant contribution” from renewable energy sources, before the SMR power plant becomes operational later in the 2030s.
Holtec’s 320 MWe pressurised water reactor, is in stage 2 of the GDA process, started in late 2023. In the US, Holtec has started pre-licensing engagement with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and has announced plans to file a construction permit application for the two Palisades SMRs in 2026.
Last Energy and DP World envisage port-centric microreactor
US-based microreactor developer Last Energy and logistics company DP World have inked a MOU to establish a single 20 MWe microreactor at the London Gateway logistics hub.
Backed by £80m ($108m) in private investment, the proposed PWR-20 unit would supply clean, baseload power needed to support a £1bn expansion of London Gateway. Operation aims to start by 2030, potentially making the project one of the world’s first dedicated to powering port operations.
Last Energy is already engaging with the UK regulator. In June, ONR completed a preliminary design review of the PWR-20. Last Energy does not intend to complete a GDA for its microreactor, which ONR says “is not a legal requirement”. Instead, the company is in the process of applying for a nuclear site licence and environmental permit to build four privately-financed PWR-20s in South Wales, at the site of the former coal-fired Llynfi power station.
ONR has confirmed a site licence for the Llynfi project could be received as early as December 2027 “if Last Energy delivers the necessary submissions to the required standard and according to schedule”. Simultaneously, the company is working with the Welsh Government on planning, engaging with the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales on environmental reviews and has accepted a grid connection offer from National Grid Electricity Distribution.
Last Energy’s PWR-20 has a 24-month delivery timeline, but the bulk of that is for module fabrication and site licensing. Shipment of modules to site and assembly is designed for completion within the final four months.
Last Energy told NEi the London Gateway project would follow a ‘project-specific nuclear site licensing process’, aiming to complete approvals on a schedule for 2030 delivery.
In the US, Last Energy’s SMR-20 is among 11 projects in the US Department of Energy’s new Reactor Pilot Program that is developing a pathway for advanced reactor demonstration to fast-track commercial licensing. It is targeting first criticality for that project (a lower capacity reactor of the PWR-20 design) by 4 July 2026 and plans to announce details in coming weeks.
TerraPower and KBR evaluate options for Natrium
Building on an existing alliance, TerraPower and engineering company KBR have revealed plans evaluate potential sites for deployment of the Natrium advanced reactor technology in the UK.
Natrium comprises a 345 MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system, which enables the plant to quickly ramp up power supply when demand peaks.
Construction of each UK reactor is expected to support 1,600 construction jobs and 250 permanent jobs. TerraPower said it remains on track to enter the UK’s GDA process in 2025.
Across the Atlantic, the Natrium US demonstration project started construction in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in June 2024. The US NRC is aiming to complete its review of TerraPower’s construction permit for Kemmerer unit 1 of the by the end of 2025, with commissioning scheduled in 2030.
Urenco and reactor developer Radiant ink HALEU fuel deal
The Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy also aims to eliminate dependence on Russian nuclear material by the end of 2028.
Supporting this effort, uranium enrichment and fuel cycle company Urenco has signed an agreement to supply high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to support the deployment of Radiant’s Kaleidos microreactors.
Kaleidos is a 1 MWe capacity transportable HTGR design that uses HALEU tristructural-isotropic (TRISO) fuel, helium gas coolant and prismatic graphite blocks. Radiant is set to start testing of its Kaleidos development unit at the DOME facility at Idaho National Laboratory in 2026 and aims to deliver its FOAK unit to a US Air Force military base in 2028.
Urenco chief executive, Boris Schucht said the advanced fuel deal “represents a very positive step for the development of SMRs.” It also marks the first binding commercial contract by a US advanced reactor developer for Western HALEU enrichment services.
Urenco has previously signed an initial agreement to enrich HALEU for Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor.
Currently only Russia and China have the infrastructure to produce HALEU at scale. However, the fuel – typically enriched to 10-20% uranium-235 – is essential for many next generation reactors currently under development.
Urenco is building an £196m Advanced Fuels Facility in Capenhurst, co-funded with the UK Government, which is expected to produce around 10 tonnes of HALEU fuel annually from 2030. It is also considering building a similar facility in the US.
ONR and NRC ink new MOU on regulatory harmonisation
Under the Atlantic partnership, both the US and UK will fast-track reactor design reviews, as outlined by a refreshed MOU between the country’s regulators, the UK’s ONR and the US NRC. This means that if a reactor has already passed rigorous safety checks in one country, the work can be used by the other to support its assessment.
“The opportunities presented through the refreshed memorandum of understanding, and new collaborative way of working outlined in the partnership agreement, clearly reaffirm our shared commitment to effective, safe and secure nuclear operations,” said Mike Finnerty, ONR’s chief executive and chief nuclear inspector.
Specifically, the effort is targeting reactor design reviews within two years, and nuclear site licensing within one year. The Environment Agency will explore accelerating site permitting, according to a statement from the regulator.
The MOU It builds on existing collaboration between regulators for on-going assessments of GE-Vernova’s BWRX-300 and Holtec’s SMR-300 reactor designs.
Gareth Thomas, director of Holtec Britain told NEi that the increased regulatory collaboration is likely to speed up Holtec’s final site licensing application, projected to occur in 2028, “as detailed US regulatory review will be already significantly progressed”.
He added that the collaboration means ONR may not have to repeat the review of specific areas of the UK safety case where the two parties agree on approaches. However, he stressed that there are “still gaps” between the two frameworks, so in some instances there will be little change in the UK assessment. Another potential challenge is that the ONR prefers UK operational experience to underpin a safety case as opposed to US operational experience. SMR designs from the US often have features or components which were chosen based on prior US operating experience, and these sometimes differ from standard UK practice.
Roger Martella, chief corporate officer of GE Vernova said: “Regulatory simplification and harmonisation will help to reduce costs and speed up the construction of the first wave of SMR plants.”
This streamlined approach could also benefit the Rolls-Royce SMR design, with the MOU coming as the company revealed it has entered the US regulatory process for its 470MWe SMR.
Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgic welcomed the commitments from the US and UK governments to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies, noting that “nuclear will play a critical role in the energy resilience and security of both nations”.
As the preferred bidder to develop the UK’s first SMR, Rolls-Royce “particularly welcome the commitment of the UK Government and Great British Energy – Nuclear [GBE-N] to speed up deployment, through an accelerated licencing process alongside vital planning reforms, to get nuclear project sites in the UK approved more quickly,” Erginbilgic added.
Reaction to raft of SMR deals
The Atlantic partnership and associated SMR collaborations have been welcomed widely by the nuclear industry.
Simon Bowen, chair of GBE-N said the UK-US commitment to nuclear energy sends a clear signal that this is a “pivotal moment for energy security and clean growth”.
“There is enormous potential to unlock investment in the UK’s nuclear sector – supporting high-quality jobs, regional growth, and the development of a resilient, capable supply chain,” he added.
EDF said its Cottam project will enable foreign direct investment into the UK, including into nuclear fuel fabrication by Framatome and turbine manufacturing by Arabelle Solutions.
Virginia Crosbie, founder and partner at UK-based investment fund Nuclear Capital and a former UK politician told NEi, the deals are “incredible for the nuclear sector here [in the UK],” adding that there will be positive ramifications for the broader European SMR industry.
Crosbie served as a Member of Parliament for Ynys Môn from 2019 to 2024 where she campaigned successfully for new nuclear at Wylfa. She also founded and chaired the All-Party Parliamentary Group on SMRs, co-chaired the cross-sector Nuclear Delivery Group and sat on the Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill Committee.
The raft of deals could eventually spur a “wave of factory investments and capacity building in the UK and US” to support the manufacturing of critical components such as reactor pressure vessels, valves, steam generators and modules, according to Crosbie. However, she warned this may pose a risk for European suppliers not integrated into these supply chains or collaborations, unless they win subcontracts or form partnerships.
