US ATTACKS STARMER OVER NUCLEAR REACTOR SNUB
The US has launched an attack on Sir Keir Starmer after he snubbed an American power company’s plans to build a nuclear power station in Wales.
In a rare public rebuke, Warren Stephens, the US ambassador to Britain, hit out at the “extremely disappointing” decision – which effectively prevents the American nuclear giant Westinghouse from building the plant at Wylfa in Anglesey.
Behind the scenes, Westinghouse’s plans have been supported by the Trump administration including officials from the US state department and the department of commerce.
However, the Prime Minister will confirm on Thursday that the country’s first small modular reactors (SMRs), designed by Rolls-Royce and backed by Qatar, will be built at Westinghouse’s preferred site instead.
On Wednesday, a state department source said London’s decision had angered Trump officials, who were offended that they were given little warning that it was coming from either Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, or Sir Keir.
Writing for the Telegraph last month, Mr Stephens urged ministers to “capitalise on the momentum” of Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK by reserving Wylfa for a large nuclear plant of the kind proposed by Westinghouse.
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On Wednesday, one well-placed source said: “The Americans are now very p----- off.”
In a statement issued to the press, Mr Stephens said: “We are extremely disappointed by this decision, not least because there are cheaper, faster and already-approved options to provide clean, safe energy at this same location.
“If you want to get shovels in the ground as soon as possible and take a big step in addressing energy prices and availability, there is a different path, and we look forward to decisions soon on large scale nuclear projects.
“As I have repeatedly said, we want the UK to be the strongest possible ally to the US, and high energy costs are an impediment to that.”
A second US state department source said: “This discussion has been long and intense with broad US/UK interests at stake - not just one company.”
In a reference to the UK government’s failure to forewarn their US counterparts about the decision, they added: “There is disappointment not just at the decision but also at how it was conveyed.”
Ministers had already chosen Derby-based Rolls-Royce to design the country’s first SMRs but are yet to officially confirm where they will be built.
However, reports that the Government is poised to confirm Wylfa as the location follow months of lobbying by rival nuclear companies interested in developing power plants in Anglesey.
Rolls-Royce’s SMR business is backed by a Qatari investment fund, US energy provider Constellation, French investment group BNF Resources and ČEZ, a Czech state energy company.
Two sites were potentially in the frame for the mini reactors: Wylfa in Anglesey and Oldbury in Gloucestershire.
Government ‘chose to get going’
Rolls has expressed a preference for Wylfa, which is larger and better-understood because of previous but ultimately abandoned plans to build another plant there.
But Westinghouse had argued privately that ministers should give Oldbury to Rolls and keep Wylfa reserved for a larger, “gigawatt-scale” nuclear project of the kind it was proposing.
It had assembled a consortium behind the project and claimed it could be delivered on similar timescales and with private financing. But the company also wanted £50m for a feasibility study and more time to draw up the proposals.
Ultimately, the Government is thought to have sided with Rolls out of the belief that its SMRs can be built more quickly.
This was partly because EDF, the French nuclear giant behind the under-construction Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C plants, was also expected to be interested in building a large plant at Wylfa.
As a result, officials believed they would have needed to carry out a competitive bidding process potentially lasting for another two years. An EDF insider denied the company would have objected to Westinghouse’s plans.
On Thursday, the Government announced Wylfa had been chosen following months of lobbying by rival nuclear companies interested in developing power plants in Anglesey.
Under the agreement, up to three Rolls-Royce--designed SMRs - enough to power around 3 million homes - will be built on the Welsh island by the mid-2030s.
More could then follow later, with officials confident there is space for up to eight on the site overall.
Great British Energy Nuclear, a government quango, is overseeing the project, which is slated to create around 3,000 jobs.
Energy secretary Ed Miliband, writing for The Telegraph, said: “The project will be built by publicly owned Great British Energy-Nuclear in partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR ... Nuclear is at the heart of our drive for energy sovereignty and abundance. And as Wylfa’s history shows, the industry has long been a source of well-paid, highly skilled, unionised jobs.”
The announcement was hailed as “national renewal in action” by the PM, who has pledged to “use all the tools in our armoury” to ensure a new generation of nuclear power plants get built.
An industry insider said: “The Government chose to get going. This decision means you can get spades in the ground next year, rather than talking for another five.”
However, a supporter of the Westinghouse bid disputed that argument, saying the company’s AP1000 reactor was tried and tested in the US and China and could be built more quickly than the Rolls design, which is still being finalised.
The Government was approached for comment.
2025-11-12T17:40:51Z