Atomlink: Unlocking Civil Nuclear Expansion at the Western Frontier

Nuclear energy has become an increasingly important economic and geopolitical issue. The number of international civil nuclear agreements has accelerated in recent years, with China and Russia leading in international exports while strengthening key supply chains. The US and its allies must keep pace to ensure they can compete in the international market and operate supply chains without adversarial influence. 

Our previous paper, Atombridge, outlined a bilateral framework for US-UK civil nuclear cooperation that leveraged each nation’s expertise to accelerate advanced reactor deployment. With this framework, we helped lay the foundation for agreements on bilateral US-UK partnership in nuclear deployment, including expanding cooperation in third-country markets.

In this paper with Stonehaven and Project Tempo, we expand on the work of Atombridge and develop a trilateral framework for US-UK-Poland civil nuclear cooperation. Poland is well situated to capitalize on the commercialization of new reactor technology due to its rapid electrification and a need to replace Russian energy exports with reliable, cost-effective alternatives. As the US and UK look to bolster their role in the international nuclear market, the three nations can leverage existing political alignment to expand Polish nuclear capacity and reaffirm economic and geopolitical security.

This paper outlines four policy recommendations that underpin a successful trilateral framework:

• Recommendation #1: De-risk financing to address critical financial gaps and unlock additional international financing partnerships
• Recommendation #2: Accelerate regulatory collaboration to streamline licensing
• Recommendation #3: Secure the supply chain by unlocking trilateral demand and incentivizing Polish supply chain integration
• Recommendation #4: Develop the Polish workforce and formalize expertise exchanges

Read Atomlink: Unlocking Civil Nuclear Expansion at the Western Frontier