A micro power plant is to be established at the DP World London Gateway port as part of UK plans to turbocharge the country’s nuclear industry.
American nuclear tech developer Last Energy has signed an agreement with DP World to deliver a modular reactor to unlock a clean power supply for the £1 billion expansion of the port on the north bank of the River Thames in Essex.
The deal, backed by £80 million in private investment, was announced as part of US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK.
The President and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met on Thursday at the UK Prime Minister’s official country residence, Chequers, with a major focus of their talks on an influx of American investment in the UK.
About £150 billion ($205 billion) of investment is promised to flow into the UK from big US companies such as Blackstone and Palantir, while the two leaders will also meet investors including bosses from GSK, Microsoft and Rolls-Royce.
The deals, covering areas such as technology, energy and life sciences, will offer a renewal of the so-called 'special relationship' between the two nations, something Mr Starmer has worked hard to cultivate since Mr Trump became leader in January.
Among the guests at Wednesday night’s state banquet at Windsor Castle were the chiefs of major American companies, including big names from the tech world Sam Altman of OpenAI, Tim Cook of Apple, and Jensen Huang, the founder of Nvidia.
“Jobs, growth and opportunity is what I promised for working people, and it's exactly what this state visit is delivering,” said Mr Starmer.
Nuclear power
The investment in London Gateway is intended to supply clean, reliable power, with surplus exported to the grid.
The project has an operations target of 2030 and is intended to meet rising power demand while strengthening long-term UK energy security.
After signing a preliminary agreement, Last Energy said the proposed PWR-20 microreactor would supply 20 Mwe of power at the world’s first port-centric micro nuclear power plant.
Michael Jenner, CEO of Last Energy UK, said the company was transforming proven nuclear technology into “practical, near-term projects that deliver clean power in years, not decades”.
He said: “By bringing resilient nuclear energy infrastructure to DP World at London Gateway, one of the UK’s most strategically located ports and logistics hubs, we are enabling new opportunities for industrial growth and international trade.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the plans demonstrated that the UK and US are world-leaders in nuclear and could support growth in the area.
He said: “By working with the US, we will reap the benefits of this golden age of nuclear, powering British homes with clean, home-grown energy, delivering well-paid skilled jobs and getting energy bills down for good.”
London Gateway is part of the Thames Freeport, which also includes Tilbury and Dagenham ports. It links cargo to over 130 ports in over 65 countries, handling a wide range of cargoes including more than 50 per cent of the UK’s deep-sea temperature-controlled imports.
The port’s expansion will see two new all-electric berths and a second rail terminal added. It is on track to become the busiest container port in the country in five years.
Last Energy is developing four reactors in South Wales where the Office for Nuclear Regulation is conducting nuclear site licensing.
The UK government said agreements signed during the state visit will make it quicker for companies to build new nuclear power stations in both countries, speeding up the time it takes for a nuclear project to get a licence from about three or four years to about two.
