Tuesday, 14 July 2026
The Czech Republic will sign an agreement with British company Rolls-Royce SMR next week to begin preparations for small modular reactors at Dětmarovice in the Karviná region and Tušimice in the Chomutov region.
The projects will build on work already underway for the country’s first planned small modular reactor at the Temelín nuclear power plant. Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček announced the agreement following a Cabinet meeting, at which he was authorized to sign it in Britain.
Czech energy company ČEZ, working with Rolls-Royce SMR, plans to develop as much as three gigawatts of small modular reactor capacity in the country. ČEZ owns a stake of approximately 20% in the British company.
According to ČEZ, the first Czech reactor is expected to be built at Temelín in the first half of the 2030s. However, the first reactor on which the two companies will cooperate is due to be constructed at Wylfa in Britain.
The new agreement will extend preparatory work to Dětmarovice and Tušimice, where the reactors would be located on former coal-fired power plant sites. The government and ČEZ signed an earlier agreement with the British company in the spring, launching preparations for a modular reactor near the existing large nuclear power plant at Temelín.
Havlíček said the additional agreements confirmed Czechia’s position as one of the most active countries in developing small and medium-sized modular reactors.
The government views the technology as an important future component of the country’s energy mix. It expects modular reactors to help reduce dependence on fossil fuels while maintaining energy security and economic competitiveness.
At the end of June, the Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Czech Energy Industry Association organized a meeting between Rolls-Royce SMR and potential Czech suppliers. The British company presented its project timetable and the conditions for possible cooperation.
Following the meeting, Havlíček said that dozens or even hundreds of Czech companies could participate in the development and construction of modular reactors, potentially contributing to dozens of projects across Europe.
Small modular reactors are designed for standardized factory production. Individual units can be installed gradually, allowing several reactors to operate at a single site. Nuclear energy experts say their main advantages over conventional nuclear units are their lower output and potentially faster, simpler construction, while their operation would be broadly similar.
Source: CTK
