The UK government recently announced that it will formally sign the Atlantic Advanced Nuclear Partnership agreement with the United States. The deal is expected to be finalized during the UK Prime Minister's visit to the US this week.
This "significant" cooperation will not only drive the large-scale expansion of nuclear power plants in both countries but also inject new momentum into the development of multiple industries. It will also significantly improve the efficiency of advancing nuclear power projects. It is revealed that the new agreement will shorten the licensing cycle for new nuclear projects in the two countries from the original 3 to 4 years to approximately 2 years, removing key obstacles to the rapid development of the nuclear power industry.
It is understood that the first batch of key cooperation plans disclosed includes five major directions:
Clean Energy Supply for Ports: DP World, a leading UAE logistics group, has partnered with Last Energy, a US developer of small modular reactors (SMRs). The two parties will invest 80 million British pounds (approximately 109 million US dollars) in private capital to build "one of the world's first small modular nuclear power plants" at the London Gateway Port and its business park in the UK. This facility will provide stable and clean electricity for port expansion and park operations.
Advanced Reactor Technology R&D: TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, and engineering firm KBR will join forces to conduct site assessments and research on "sodium advanced reactor technology" in the UK. The goal is to develop nuclear power facilities with gigawatt-level energy storage capabilities, providing "safe, reliable, and flexible" power support for the UK's energy system.
Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Collaboration: With support from the UK government, Urenco is building a nuclear fuel facility in the UK (and plans to replicate similar projects in the US). Under the new partnership, Urenco will sign an agreement worth approximately 4 million British pounds with Radiant to supply high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel to the US market, strengthening the transatlantic nuclear fuel supply chain.
Large-Scale Construction of Modular Reactors: US-based X-Energy and the UK's Centrica Group plan to take the lead in building 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, UK. They will later push forward the goal of constructing "6 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity" nationwide in the UK, supporting the country's energy structure transformation.
Energy Reutilization of Decommissioned Power Plants: Holtec, Electricité de France (EDF), and Tritax will form a tripartite alliance to develop a data center powered by small modular reactors (SMRs) at the site of the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire, UK. This project will realize the transformation and reuse of "traditional energy facilities into clean energy scenarios".