Czech state-controlled utility CEZ will establish a strategic partnership with UK-based Rolls-Royce SMR for the development of small modular reactors (SMR), prime-minister Petr Fiala told a press conference on Wednesday 18 September.

A government statement said the partnership will be concluded on the condition that Rolls-Royce SMR passes a standard security assessment test.

Fiala said Prague is not interested to “only build” new SMR plants but participate in their production on a global scale.

“The establishment of a strategic partnership between CEZ and Rolls-Royce SMR will be a great opportunity for Czech companies, which have many years of experience in the nuclear industry,” Fiala said.

The government said CEZ plans to build the first SMR plant in the Czech Republic near the existing Temelin nuclear station. It is expected to be built in the first half of the 2030s before any new large-scale units come online.

CEZ chief executive Daniel Benes said the strategic partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR will allow the company to combine its long-term experience with nuclear energy with “the high technological maturity” of its new UK partner.

Benes said that CEZ will now negotiate a specific form of cooperation with Rolls-Royce SMR.

Rolls-Royce SMR chief executive Chris Cholerton welcomed the decision of the Czech government to name the UK company as preferred supplier for the development and construction of SMR plants.

Cholerton said the final agreements “are subject to customary regulatory clearances” and details will be published upon signing.

Cholerton also confirmed Rolls-Royce SMR was selected from a list of seven potential SMR technology providers.

Rolls-Royce has said its SMR will be factory-built, enabling easier transportation, reduced completion risk, and increased build time certainty. The SMR plant is to have an output of 470 MW.

The Czech Republic has six commercially operational reactor units: four Russia-designed VVER-440 units at Dukovany and two larger VVER-1000 units at Temelín. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, in 2023 the six units provided 40% of the country’s electricity production.

The Czech government approved an SMR deployment roadmap in 2023. Prague also wants to deploy two large-scale reactor units at Dukovany in the late 2030s and potentially at Temelin in the 2040s.