The Trump administration is elevating the role of nuclear power in trade negotiations. US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK this week included the conclusion of a deal that will make it easier for US companies to build nuclear power stations in Britain.
More such agreements are in the works with other countries, Energy Secretary Chris Wright told the UN’s nuclear oversight agency this week. Future deals could include Saudi Arabia; Wright said back in April that early talks on such a deal were underway. Unlike renewables, nuclear is one low-carbon technology that Wright, himself a former nuclear entrepreneur, can get behind.
Nuclear power is also an important avenue for countering the geopolitical influence of Russia and China. But unlike gas, where the US holds a more commanding position, the administration’s nuclear diplomacy will need to be “tempered with the recognition that US partners and allies are crucial to commercial success,” Jennifer Gordon, director of the Atlantic Council’s Nuclear Energy Policy Initiative, told Semafor. In this case, at least, the US seems to have achieved a better deal, Gordon said: The UK had previously expressed interest in prioritizing its own nuclear technologies.
A chart showing the share of electricity production from nuclear.
