Atombridge: Strengthening the US/UK Special Civil Nuclear Relationship

China and Russia have rapidly scaled their respective nuclear sectors and, in so doing, expanded their geopolitical influence around the world. The two countries’ growing control of key supply chains threatens to leave the US, the UK, and their allies dependent on foreign actors.

Now, more than ever, secure supply chains for civil nuclear are critical to maintaining national security for the US, the UK, and their allies.

For decades, the US and UK collaborated closely on civil nuclear technology. Now is the time to reinvigorate that bond and deepen cooperation on nuclear energy. The consequences of a failure to strengthen US-UK civil nuclear cooperation could be grave, both geopolitically and economically.

In this paper with Stonehaven, we find that the US and UK are well-suited for further collaboration on nuclear, specifically SMR and Gen IV technologies. By focusing on a limited set of reactor designs, the two nations could reduce deployment costs through learning rates and commissioning larger order books. The US has been a global leader in the development of innovative, next-generation reactors, and international partnerships will be critical as we scale and commercialize these technologies.

This paper recommends that the US and the UK agree to a new comprehensive treaty or special bilateral agreement to enhance the civil nuclear partnership between the two countries. This should encompass existing agreements, and be built around three core pillars:

Pillar 1: Enable a transatlantic strategic program for SMR and Gen IV technologies

Pillar 2: Establish a geopolitically secure supply chain

Pillar 3: Secure long-term growth and global leadership in exports and technology

Read Atombridge: Strengthening the US/UK Special Civil Nuclear Relationship