CEZ and Rolls-Royce SMR sign agreement to prepare for small reactor construction

Semi-state-owned energy company CEZ and British company Rolls-Royce SMR have signed an agreement to begin preparatory work for the construction of the first small modular reactor in Czechia. It is expected to be built in the mid-2030s next to the Temelín nuclear power plant, with preparations covering the acquisition of the necessary permits, an environmental impact assessment and preparatory work at the construction site. CEZ spokesman Ladislav Kříž announced the news in a press release today. The two companies had previously announced their cooperation on the development of modular nuclear reactors, and CEZ recently also became a shareholder in Rolls-Royce SMR.

“This (current) agreement represents an important step forward in our partnership with CEZ, demonstrates our shared ambition and proves that we are moving ahead rapidly together as we further develop clean and reliable nuclear energy in the Czech Republic,” Kříž quoted Rolls-Royce SMR CEO Chris Cholerton as saying.

CEZ’s head of new energy, Tomáš Pleskač, noted that the two companies began cooperating this year and that CEZ acquired a one-fifth stake in Rolls-Royce SMR. “We will work closely with British company Rolls-Royce SMR to prepare for the construction of the first small modular reactor in the Czech Republic. It is expected to be built at the Temelín site in the mid-2030s,” Pleskač added in connection with the agreement signed today.

CEZ is assessing other locations for small reactors. According to its representatives, existing coal-fired power plant sites appear suitable, including Tušimice in the Ústí nad Labem Region.

CEZ plans to build modular reactors with a combined capacity of three gigawatts by 2050 and has selected Rolls-Royce SMR technology as its partner and supplier. According to previous information from CEZ, the Rolls-Royce SMR is a pressurised water reactor that uses both active and passive safety features. It is expected to have an electrical output of 470 megawatts, and the reactor is designed to operate for at least 60 years.

The existing nuclear power plants at Dukovany and Temelín each have a capacity of about two gigawatts.

Modular reactors can be mass-produced in factories, with multiple units gradually assembled at a single site. According to nuclear energy experts, they differ from large nuclear units primarily in their lower output, as well as faster and simpler construction. Their operation, by contrast, could be similar.