A Golden Age of Nuclear: How UK–U.S. cooperation is powering a clean energy future

When Russia invaded Ukraine, European nations — and the UK in particular — were forced to go “cold turkey” off Russian natural gas, severing a supply chain that had underpinned electricity and heating for decades. That scramble collided with an unprecedented heatwave in the UK’s early summer, straining grids, sending prices soaring, and exposing the fragility of over-reliance on imported fossil fuels.

These shocks underscored a hard truth: energy security is national security. Countries that cannot depend on their own supply — or on trusted allies — risk economic disruption, political instability, and a diminished ability to protect their citizens when geopolitics shift. We wrote about these geopolitical events previously.

Against this backdrop, the United Kingdom and the United States have launched an ambitious new phase of cooperation to accelerate nuclear power development on both sides of the Atlantic. The new Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy, expected to be signed during President Trump’s state visit to London, marks a major step toward unlocking the next generation of clean, secure energy.

By streamlining licensing and encouraging private investment, the partnership aims to shorten the time it takes to build new reactors—from three or four years for regulatory approvals to as little as two. That would mean more jobs, faster deployment, and greater energy security for both nations.

A transatlantic energy alliance

By combining the two countries’ innovation, investment and industrial sites, as well as more aligned regulatory oversight, the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy aims to offer:

• Lower costs and shorter schedules through mutual recognition of safety reviews.
• Robust supply chains, including advanced fuels and reactor components, that bypass hostile actors and improve resilience.
• Shared R&D on fission and fusion, harnessing AI tools and joint test facilities to accelerate breakthroughs.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the partnership “a golden age of nuclear,” while U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright highlighted how cooperation will “enhance global energy security” and “fuel the AI revolution.”

Key announcements driving the partnership

Several commercial agreements were unveiled alongside the government-to-government framework. Together, they signal a wave of investment in advanced reactors, fuels, and clean power applications.

• X-Energy and Centrica – Plans to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors at Hartlepool, creating as many as 2,500 skilled jobs. The full UK programme could deliver 6 GW of capacity, power 1.5 million homes, and generate £40 billion in economic value—£12 billion of which would flow to the North East.
• Holtec, EDF and Tritax – A proposal to develop data centres powered by small modular reactors on the site of the former Cottam coal station in Nottinghamshire. The £11 billion project could employ thousands during construction and create long-term operations roles.
• Last Energy and DP World – One of the world’s first micro-modular nuclear plants to supply clean power to DP World’s London Gateway port and logistics park, backed by £80 million in private investment.
• Urenco and Radiant – A £4 million deal to supply advanced HALEU fuel to the U.S. market. Urenco’s new Advanced Fuels Facility in the UK, co-funded by government, may become a model for similar plants in the United States.
• TerraPower and KBR – A collaboration to study and evaluate UK sites for deploying the Natrium advanced reactor, each unit supporting about 1,600 construction jobs and 250 permanent jobs while pairing reliable nuclear power with grid-scale energy storage.

Why this matters

For the current U.S. Administration, the Atlantic Partnership is more than a gesture of friendship—it’s a way to meet strategic and economic goals at home. The same goes for the UK, with the partnership expected to create tens of thousands of high-quality jobs in regions which have historically been overlooked.

Among other things, the more U.S. and UK technology is deployed, the more first-of-a-kind costs are driven down, and the stronger the commercial offering—both domestically and abroad--become:

• Grid reliability & clean energy: Nuclear power offers firm, carbon-free electricity to complement renewables and meet surging demand from AI, data centers, and electrified transport.
• Industrial competitiveness: Building and exporting advanced reactors creates thousands of highly skilled jobs in engineering, construction, operations, and supply-chain manufacturing.
• Energy security: Closer coordination with the UK diversifies global supply chains, reduces reliance on Russian fuel, and strengthens Western resilience against hostile suppliers.
• Innovation leadership: Bilateral projects—like Natrium, advanced SMRs, and HALEU fuel supply—position companies from both countries at the forefront of next-generation nuclear technology.
• Climate and decarbonization goals: Meeting emissions targets will require reliable zero-carbon power alongside renewables; nuclear is the only large-scale option already proven.

Conclusion

The UK–U.S. deal could transform the pace of nuclear deployment in the UK, the U.S., and abroad. For Britain, it could provide a route to affordable, clean, homegrown energy and thousands of well-paid jobs. For the U.S., it would reinforce leadership in an industry critical to economic growth, energy security, and climate goals.

While there are inevitably questions around how it will be delivered (in particular the reduction in regulatory timetables without compromising on safety), this collaboration would mark the most significant transatlantic effort in civilian nuclear power since the dawn of the atomic age—ushering in a truly shared golden age of nuclear energy. We will provide more in-depth analysis once the terms of the Atlantic Partnership are made public.

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For more information, please contact one of the authors: Amy Roma, Malcolm Parry, Stephanie Fishman.