President Donald Trump is expected to sign a series of multi-billion-dollar nuclear energy agreements with the United Kingdom during his state visit this week, U.S. officials said, part of a broader push to expand nuclear capacity, secure transatlantic supply chains and reduce reliance on Russian nuclear fuel.
The package, to be formally announced during meetings with Prime Minister Keir Starmer following the president’s state visit with King Charles, includes measures intended to lower regulatory barriers to building new power stations and commercial partnerships between U.S. and U.K. firms. U.S.-based X-energy will partner with Britain’s Centrica to build 12 advanced modular reactors in Hartlepool, officials said, while American firm Holtec will work with U.K. companies EDF and Tritax to develop small nuclear data centers in Nottinghamshire.
"Today’s commercial deals set up a framework to unleash commercial access in both the U.S. and U.K., enhancing global energy security, strengthening U.S. energy dominance, and securing nuclear supply chains across the Atlantic," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said ahead of the visit. A senior U.S. official told reporters the agreements include a commitment to "achieve full independence from Russian nuclear fuel by 2028," calling that goal "critically important" for allies that still rely on Moscow for some fuel supply.
Trump’s two-day state visit to Britain opens Wednesday at Windsor Castle, where the president and first lady Melania Trump will be greeted by King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales. The president is scheduled to lay a wreath at St. George’s Chapel, attend a musical performance and watch a Red Arrows flyover before a state banquet at Windsor. On Thursday the president and first lady will travel to Chequers to meet Prime Minister Starmer to finalize the commercial deals and discuss broader issues including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Starmer described the agreements as part of a potential "golden age of nuclear" that could create thousands of jobs and reduce long-term energy costs. U.S. officials said the deals are also intended to support data-heavy industries, including artificial intelligence, by providing reliable, low-carbon baseload power and onshore nuclear fuel and materials.
The White House framed the visit as a renewal of the "special relationship" ahead of the 250th anniversary next year marking American independence. U.S. and U.K. officials also flagged separate announcements expected from private-sector technology executives, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who are exploring investment in British chip and computing capacity.
Despite the upbeat commercial focus, officials acknowledged lingering diplomatic frictions. Members of the Trump administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have publicly criticized U.K. social media regulations and flagged concerns about free-speech restrictions. In London, Prime Minister Starmer dismissed Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington this week after the release of emails in which Mandelson praised the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The planned nuclear agreements come against a backdrop of existing U.K. energy policy: London has banned imports of Russian natural gas but continues to source some nuclear fuel from Russia, a dependence U.S. officials say the new deals are designed to eliminate. They also reflect a transatlantic effort to speed deployment of smaller, advanced reactors and to align industrial policy on critical energy and computing infrastructure.
Officials described the deals as commercially driven, involving private-sector investment and partnerships rather than direct government procurement. Details on financing, timelines and regulatory changes were described as still being finalized and expected to be specified in documents signed during the president’s meetings with Starmer. U.S. and U.K. spokespeople declined to provide exact cost figures beyond calling the package "multi-billion-dollar" in scale.
Administration officials said the broader aim is to encourage other U.S. allies to adopt nuclear power as part of energy-security strategies and to invest in domestic fuel-cycle capabilities that can replace imports from adversarial states. Observers will be watching for the specifics of regulatory changes and the pace of construction, which will determine whether the projects can meet the stated goal of ending dependence on Russian fuel within the stated timeframe.
Negotiations for the agreements have proceeded alongside routine diplomatic consultations, and officials emphasized that the announcements do not alter ongoing discussions on trade, security cooperation, or NATO commitments. The deals are expected to be a central element of the public and private agenda during the state visit as the two countries seek to expand industrial ties in energy and technology.