During President Trump’s visit to Britain this week, the U.S. and the U.K. are expected to sign several new deals. These new deals will start a “golden age” of nuclear power, according to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Starmer said on Monday that the proposed energy pact would put the two countries “at the forefront of global innovation.”
The plans are named the Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy and look to build 12 advanced new modular reactors in Hartlepool, located in northeast England.
Other parts of the plans are also pushing to develop data centers powered by small modular reactors in Nottinghamshire.
The announcement maintains the two countries’ stance on embracing nuclear power. Specifically, the U.S. and the U.K. are focused on fueling energy-intensive data centers to train and run artificial intelligence tools.
Plans for the new reactors in Hartlepool could create up to 2,500 jobs, and say power from the new plants could supply up to 1.5 million homes, according to X-Energy, a U.S.-based company and Centrica, a British Gas company.
Both companies also say the program could have major positive economic contributions. The two companies estimated the program could deliver at least $54.25 billion.
Holtec, a U.S.-based technology company, said the plans to build advanced data centers powered by small modular reactors in Nottinghamshire would be worth around 11 million. The project is set to be developed by Holtec, EDF and Tritax.
Small modular reactors vow to have smaller and lighter footprints compared to traditional power plants. They have the potential to be cheaper and quicker to build when they become fully commercialized.
In the U.S., Amazon and Google signed deals to develop small modular reactors; tech companies are starting to turn to nuclear power to power their data centers.
Some other deals that will be signed as part of the agreement between the U.K. and the U.S. include establishing the world’s first micro modular nuclear power plant.
“With President Trump’s leadership, the United States is ushering in a true nuclear renaissance – harnessing the power of commercial nuclear to meet rising energy demand and fuel the AI revolution,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said on Monday.
Advocates for nuclear energy argue that nuclear power has the potential to play a significant role in helping countries generate electricity in an energy-efficient way. As nuclear energy is low-carbon, advocates argue that nuclear energy could slash emissions and reduce countries’ reliance on fossil fuels.
Though some other environmental groups say the nuclear industry is an expensive and harmful distraction from cheaper and cleaner alternatives.