Building on U.S.-U.K. projects: The publishing of the framework comes as several joint nuclear projects between U.K. and U.S. companies are getting underway, including plans for X-energy and Centrica to build 12 small high-temperature gas-cooled reactors in Hartlepool; for Holtec, EDF, and Tritax to build small modular reactors at a former coal-fired plant in Nottinghamshire; and for TerraPower to explore deploying its Natrium sodium fast reactor in the United Kingdom.
Pipeline basics: The Advanced Nuclear Pipeline is designed to attract private investment by detailing all essential readiness criteria for potential projects. It is described as a “concierge-style” service to “help developers understand requirements around U.K. planning, regulation, and fuel, as well as enabling them to crowd-in private investment.”
Applications from developers to join this pipeline will be assessed by experts in the government and its Great British Energy–Nuclear company. Assessments will be based on such criteria as technology status, developer capability, and financing plans.
Successful applicants will receive government endorsements as well as opportunities for possible government help to get their projects off the ground. Such support could include revenue assistance after projects become operational and risk protections for “extremely rare events to develop projects with little risk for the taxpayer.” In addition, the government’s National Wealth Fund could act as a “catalytic investor” for projects that meet their investment criteria.
Open for business: Neil Cooper, the chief financial officer at Great British Energy–Nuclear, observed that the publication of the Advanced Nuclear Framework “is hugely positive for the nuclear industry in the U.K. and signals the start of a disciplined and transparent partnership between government and the private sector, built on evidence, not optimism.”
In the framework’s foreword, Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation, Research, and Nuclear, noted that the government “is taking the next steps to power Britain’s future by being among the first to champion the deployment of cutting-edge advanced nuclear projects driven by the private sector. These technologies offer new opportunities to deploy capacity more quickly, at a lower cost, and with greater flexibility, helping us to meet rising demand whilst cutting emissions. . . . The U.K. is open for business, and this framework is the next step in our ambition to remain one of the most attractive destinations for nuclear innovation anywhere in the world.”
Events and information: The U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is holding special events to introduce the Advanced Nuclear Framework, including one in Manchester on February 11, one in London on February 25, and an online event on February 18. Reservations can be made at the provided links.
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In a move that could lead to more U.S. nuclear companies gaining a foothold in the United Kingdom, the U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has published a first-of-its-kind Advanced Nuclear Framework. Key provisions in this framework include the government’s intention to create a pipeline of “credible projects” to help unlock private investment and plans to accelerate the building of new reactors to power AI data centers.
