Latest Trump visit to UK resulted in new US-UK nuclear deal ringing in a golden age of nuclear power

Good news! The pomp and its coverage surrounding this visit distracted from the things that really matter!

Maybe France should be added to this nuclear deal?

While, foolish Germany has shut down and demolished nuclear power plants! German madness and backwardness sometimes knows no bounds! The contrasts to the rest of the world could not be starker!

How many new nuclear power plants has China built in recent decades?

According to Google search: "In the past decade, China has built and brought online a significant number of new nuclear power plants, adding over 34 gigawatts of capacity and reaching 55 operational reactors as of April 2024. The country continues its rapid expansion, with an additional 23 reactors under construction and plans to approve many more in the coming years, making it the fastest-expanding nuclear power generator globally."

"the announcement of an “Atlantic Partnership for Advanced Nuclear Energy”.

The focus of the partnership is to make it quicker for companies to build nuclear power stations in both Britain and America. The deal aligns the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation, and the UK Environment Agency to streamline and accelerate licensing, specifically targeting reactor design reviews within two years and site licensing within one year.

In practice, this means that if there is a type of reactor that has already passed all of the required safety assessments in one country, that work can be used in the other. This reduces duplication and, in theory, should cut licensing approval time. ..."

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• Major boost for clean, homegrown energy as UK and US companies agree landmark commitments to build new nuclear power plants, including potential for up to 2,500 jobs for Teesside.
• UK-US sign new deal to get Britain building more nuclear and support billions in private investment into clean energy
• New ‘golden age’ of nuclear drives forward the government’s energy superpower mission to take back control of Britain’s energy for good.

...

Building on existing UK and US collaboration including between Rolls-Royce and BWXT, the government has increased access to the market for both UK and US companies with new major commercial deals to be announced this week:

• X-Energy and Centrica - plans to build up to 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, with a follow-on UK wide programme targeting a fleet of 6GW of nuclear power. According to the companies, the Hartlepool project would generate enough power for up to 1.5 million homes and create up to 2,500 good jobs. The companies estimate the overall programme could deliver at least £40 billion in economic value, with £12 billion in value focussed for the North East of England.
• Holtec, EDF and Tritax - plans to develop advanced data centres powered by small modular reactors at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire. Holtec estimate the project value to be around £11 billion, and it is expected to create thousands of high-skilled construction jobs, as well as long-term roles in operations for the local community.
• Last Energy and DP World – plans to establish one of the world’s first micro modular nuclear power plants, backed by £80 million in private investment, to unlock a clean power supply for the expansion of DP World’s London Gateway port and business park.
• Urenco and Radiant – signs a deal, worth around £4 million, to supply advanced HALEU fuel to the US market. Urenco is building an Advanced Fuels Facility in the UK co-funded with the UK Government and is exploring building a similar facility in the US.
• TerraPower and KBR – plans to conduct studies and evaluate sites in the UK for the deployment of the Natrium advanced reactor technology, with each Natrium reactor supporting around 1,600 construction jobs and 250 permanent jobs and delivering safe, reliable and flexible nuclear power paired with gigawatt-scale energy storage.

The UK’s new ‘golden age’ of nuclear follows the announcement of the biggest build-out of new nuclear power in generations, including a multi-billion deal giving Sizewell C the green light. This is alongside the development of one of Europe’s first small modular reactor programmes, and record investment in fusion. ..."

Trump goes nuclear

Golden age of nuclear delivers UK-US deal on energy security (original UK government news release) "New jobs and growth as companies in the UK and United States sign major new deals to turbocharge the build-out of new nuclear power stations."