JD Vance, the US Vice President, has quietly laid the groundwork for a new wave of nuclear energy investment in the UK, as the White House looks to secure key announcements ahead of President Donald Trump’s state visit to London this month. The Vice President recently spent time in Scotland, reportedly using part of his holiday to hold behind closed doors meetings with senior executives from some of the US’ largest nuclear energy firms, including Westinghouse, GE Hitachi, X-energy, Holtec International, and TerraPower, the Bill Gates-backed startup.
Though the discussions were officially described as exploratory, sources close to the matter say they lasted nearly twice as long as planned and centered on real-world opportunities for US firms to help meet Britain’s growing energy needs, particularly those driven by the boom in artificial intelligence and data centre expansion. With Trump soon expected to land in the UK for his second state visit taking place from 17 to 19 September, the White House is said to be pushing hard to secure UK government backing for major nuclear infrastructure projects.
Among the headline proposals are a large-scale plant on the island of Anglesey in North Wales, led by Westinghouse, and a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs) planned by X-energy, which aims to deploy them in industrial areas across the UK, The Telegraph reported.
Days before Trump’s visit to the UK, Lord Mandelson, Britain’s ambassador to the US, called for a “generational evolution” of the transatlantic alliance, underpinned by new partnerships in energy, AI, and defence.
Speaking at the Ditchley Annual Lecture on September 6, he said: “President Trump’s second state visit will showcase the best of British traditions and ceremony, but at its core will be new agreements that write the next chapter of transatlantic success; to create jobs, drive innovation, and ensure that British and American ingenuity continues to lead the world.”
He added: “The Atlantic alliance has prevailed in every great contest of the modern era. Today’s technological competition will be no different, but we must act with the urgency and unity this moment demands.”
Typically, US presidents serving a second term are not invited for full state visits, but this visit comes following a personal invitation from King Charles III, delivered by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during trade discussions at the White House earlier this year.
Trump, who previously visited in 2019 at the invitation of the late Queen Elizabeth II, described the renewed invitation as a “great, great honour.”
He will be joined by First Lady Melania Trump and hosted at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace remains under renovation.
The UK government itself has begun streamlining nuclear development. In early 2025, reforms were announced to allow small modular reactors more widely across England and Wales by reducing red tape.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said back in February: “This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades. We’ve been let down, and left behind. Our energy security has been hostage to Putin for too long, with British prices skyrocketing at his whims.
“I’m putting an end to it – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation, and saying no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.”