Up and atom: does the US-UK nuclear partnership mean a ‘golden age of nuclear’?

Large, set piece policy announcements, trade deals or grand partnerships can be an effective method for a government to gain a semblance of control when faced with a slew of negative media stories, resignations or the hubbub of Westminster soap opera gossip.  

Monday’s announcement that a US-UK partnership in the nuclear sector is set to be signed during Donald Trump’s state visit comes, therefore, at an opportune time for the government.  

Under the terms of the partnership, set to be worth billions of pounds in private investment, a new fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs) is set to be built by the mid-2030s. This is the latest nuclear announcement by this pro-nuclear energy government. In June, it was announced that Rolls Royce SMR was the preferred bidder to develop SMRs in the UK. In July, Sizewell C received its final investment decision, with the UK government becoming the largest shareholder with 44.9% equity.  

The part of the announcement that stood out to me, however, was about regulation. The US and the UK will agree to speed up regulatory checks to get these new SMRs online faster by mutually recognising each other’s safety assessments. So, this could be good news for UK operators like Rolls Royce, too. It is suggested that this will halve the time it takes to bring the new SMRs into operation. This also seems to be the direction of travel in nuclear – with SMRs replacing the familiar large-scale nuclear power station like Hinkley Point C or Sizewell C. 
 
In the case of Hinkley Point C, EDF has argued that the delay to its completion date is in part due to the multitude of design modifications put forwarded by the regulator. This mutual recognition would then seem to help avoid delays to the rollout of SMRs.  

But how will the public react to the trimming of the regulatory safety net, however expedient it may be? Will communities living near them embrace them as enthusiastically, especially if approved by an American regulator with potential different attitudes to a British one? SMRs are, after all, a pretty unknown technology in its infancy. 

It’s therefore not surprising that many of the sites mooted for the first SMRs are areas with long associations with now decommissioned nuclear sites. Politically, too, it makes sense, with good access to a labour market that is used to nuclear and educational institutions with experience of equipping young people with the skills needed in the nuclear industry. In spite of the welcome private investment, there is still a need for proper and thorough engagement with communities set to be home to SMRs.  

There are many advantages to this regulatory mutual recognition, which could allow SMRs to be rolled out at pace and quickly meet a good proportion of the UK’s energy needs. Working with communities, though, will ensure that they feel the benefits of the jobs and investment in their area. Get all this right, and we may yet see aa golden age of nuclear in this country.