US angered: Britain favors SMRs over American nuclear technology

The United Kingdom has backed the development of small modular reactors and decided that the first project will be built in North Wales on the site of a decommissioned nuclear power station. The US has criticized the decision; it had its sights set on a contract for Westinghouse at the same site.

The United Kingdom has selected a site in North Wales for its first small modular reactors (SMRs). It is the island of Anglesey in North Wales, where the Wylfa nuclear power station is located. It stopped operating at the end of 2015.

The project will be led by British engineering company Rolls-Royce, with the SMRs expected to come online in 2030.

This is also a Czech success. ČEZ holds a 20% stake in Rolls-Royce SMR and is a strategic partner of the British engineering company. The United Kingdom and the Czech Republic have also signed an agreement on cooperation in the civil nuclear sector. Both developments could therefore affect the development of small modular reactors in the Czech Republic.

US reaction

The decision, which came according to Reuters at a time when the centre-left Labour Party is losing political support in the region, has drawn sharp criticism from the US, which accused the British energy strategy of driving up prices and weakening the United Kingdom.

In an unusually strongly worded statement, the US ambassador said that choosing SMRs would delay construction and efforts to lower British electricity prices, which are among the highest in the world.

The real reason, however, is likely to be the US effort to increase its involvement in the United Kingdom’s energy sector. One step towards this goal was a plan to build a US-led nuclear power station at the same site, to be led by the American energy company Westinghouse.

“We are deeply disappointed by this decision, particularly because there are cheaper, faster and already approved options for providing clean and safe energy at the same site,” the ambassador said.

The British government said it would consider building a new large nuclear power station at another site and tasked state-owned GB Energy-Nuclear with finding a suitable location by autumn 2026.

Ongoing cooperation with the US?

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Wylfa was the most suitable site for SMRs, but that the United Kingdom remained interested in cooperating with the United States on nuclear energy.

“We will work closely with our American partners, who remain key to the future of British nuclear energy ... This decision does not close the door on larger power stations elsewhere. We are keeping our options open and ensuring that the US plays a significant role in our plans,” the spokesman said.

Two large nuclear power stations are currently under construction in the United Kingdom: Hinkley Point C in western England and Sizewell C in eastern England.

Starmer said his close relationship with US President Donald Trump was helping in a range of areas, from securing the first agreement to ease some US tariffs to cooperation on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Trump, however, has openly criticized British energy policy and its efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, urged the government to increase oil extraction in the North Sea and criticized the country’s wind farms.