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The prime minister has hailed a new “golden age” of nuclear power as British and US companies announce five new commercial deals, ahead of the US president’s state visit this week.
The plans include a new nuclear power plant in Hartlepool using latent, potentially cheaper technology and data centres powered by mini reactors in Nottinghamshire.
Officials have been hurrying to coordinate the agreements before President Donald Trump jets in on Tuesday, with the two leaders expected to sign off on multibillion-pound tech deals as well as a revamped agreement to work together on nuclear power.
They hope the new Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy will speed up notoriously slow nuclear projects in both countries by slashing red tape and aligning safety standards.
Both governments are betting big on nuclear to meet rising electricity demand and AI’s voracious appetite for energy, while Sir Keir Starmer hopes it will boost jobs, growth and manufacturing in former industrial heartlands.
The two leaders will also be hoping the high-profile visit will shake off last week’s scandal over revelations of the ambassador to the US Lord Mandelson’s links with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, with whom Mr Trump’s own association is being scrutinised.
The jewel of today’s announcements is the plan to replace the outgoing Hartlepool nuclear power plant, which expires in 2028, with a new plant of up to 960MW using new “advanced modular reactor” (AMR) technology.
The AMR designer, US firm X-Energy, signed a Joint Development Agreement with British Gas-owner Centrica to build and fund the fleet, which they said would generate 2,500 construction jobs and maintain hundreds when up and running in the 2030s.
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