Rolls-Royce SMR Design Chosen for Czech Nuclear Plants

The Czech Republic’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) said it wants to cooperate with UK firm Rolls-Royce to develop and build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs).

The trade ministry said that the applicants were “contacted based on their potential suitability for employment in the Czech Republic…” Rolls-Royce SMR is the first company that wants to enter into a strategic partnership with CEZ (the Czech nuclear energy company). Now the government will conduct a “security assessment of the British company” to ensure compliance with state security requirements, as was done recently with bidders for contracts for large nuclear units (the Ministry of the Interior, the Security Information Service, UZSI, military intelligence and other important institutions).

Rolls-Royce hopes to deploy its first SMR in the UK in the early 2030s, but the Czech Republic and utility company ČEZ are starting preliminary work to build an SMR.

ČEZ chose Rolls-Royce as its preferred candidate based on a safety assessment from seven bidders.

The utility company plans to build its first modular reactor at the Temelin nuclear power plant in southern Bohemia. It should be built in the first half of the 2030s, ahead of a new large Czech nuclear unit due to be installed in 2040.

It is also exploring other locations suitable for SMRs. These include sites in Detmarovice and Třežice.

The Czech Republic hopes that SMRs will replace old coal-fired power plants.

“The strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR will allow us to use our long-term experience in the field of nuclear energy and the high technological maturity of the British company,” said ČEZ Chief Executive Officer Daniel Benesch, adding that ČEZ will now discuss the specific nature of the cooperation with its partner.

The Czech Republic currently gets about one-third of its electricity from four VVER-440 units (1985 and 1987) at Dukovany, and two VVER-1000 units (2000 and 2002) operating at Temelín. In July, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) was proposed to build four new units at two existing nuclear power plants. The first unit was scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2038.

The Czech SMR Roadmap was released and approved last year, setting out options for technology suppliers, identifying 45 potential sites and investor models. The goal is to “make SMRs complementary to large nuclear units from the 2030-40s”.

The Rolls-Royce SMR is based on a small pressurised water reactor with a capacity of 470 MW. It will deliver continuous baseload generation for at least six decades. 90% of the SMR (16 m by 4 m) will be built in factory conditions, with on-site activity mainly limited to the assembly of pre-fabricated, pre-tested modules, which significantly reduces project risk and significantly shortens the construction schedule.

It has a greater capacity than many of its SMR rivals—SMRs are typically reactor units with an output of up to 300 MWe. It successfully completed the second phase of the UK’s Generic Design Assessment process in July. After that, the third and final phase of the process began, which analyzes safety, security and environmental issues. The target for completion of that final process is August 2026.

In July, the Nuclear Industry Association requested the UK government’s justification decision for Rolls-Royce’s SMR. This decision is essential for the new nuclear technology to be operational in the country. It is the first example of a UK reactor design being justifiable. Rolls-Royce UK aims to make a final investment decision in the UK in 2029 if it is successful in the UK’s SMR election.

“Discussions are ongoing to finalise the contract terms and final agreements are subject to customary regulatory approvals,” said Chris Cholerton, CEO of Rolls-Royce SMR. Details of the agreement will be published at the time of signing. This important strategic collaboration will strengthen Rolls-Royce SMR’s position as the leading SMR technology in Europe, as well as position CEZ, Rolls-Royce SMR and its existing shareholders at the forefront of SMR deployment. Rolls-Royce SMR will be a source of clean, affordable, reliable electricity for Czechia. It will create jobs, enable decarbonisation, reduce reliance on imported energy and support global efforts to reach net zero.”