Britain and the United States will sign a landmark nuclear power agreement during US President Donald Trump’s state visit this week, the British government announced. The deal is part of the UK’s major push to expand nuclear power, which includes a £14 billion ($19 billion) investment in the new Sizewell C plant and advanced plans for Rolls-Royce to build the country’s first small modular reactors (SMRs).
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Under the new partnership, US firm X-Energy and UK utility Centrica plan to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors in northeast England, while US company Holtec International, France’s EDF, and partner Tritax are preparing an £11 billion ($15 billion) project to develop advanced data centres powered by SMRs at the former Cottam coal-fired power station. Together, these projects are expected to generate thousands of jobs and attract long-term investment into Britain’s energy sector.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the commitments “a golden age of nuclear,” highlighting their potential to drive down household bills over time. Trump and Starmer previously discussed closer collaboration on SMRs during a meeting in Scotland in July.
The agreement will also streamline nuclear regulation between the two countries. If a reactor passes safety checks in one country, the other can use those findings to support its own process, cutting licensing time from the current three to four years to about two years.
Executives from both sides welcomed the collaboration. Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea said the partnership would help build “a resilient, affordable, low-carbon energy system,” while X-Energy CEO J. Clay Sell noted that Hartlepool offered the right environment for scaling the technology. Holtec Chair Kris Singh added that the plan would draw on lessons from its Palisades project in Michigan, while EDF UK chief Simone Rossi emphasized the benefits for energy security.
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Rolls-Royce also confirmed it had entered the US regulatory process for its SMR design, paving the way for new investment and job creation on both sides of the Atlantic. In a related development, UK-based Urenco is expected to sign a deal to supply advanced low-enriched uranium to the US market.
With more than £25 billion ($32 billion) in planned projects, the agreement underscores Britain and America’s shared commitment to nuclear power as a cornerstone of energy security, industrial growth, and the transition to low-carbon economies.