Czechs choose two new sites for small nuclear reactors

The Czech Republic has signed a deal with Britain's Rolls-Royce to build small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in two locations, Energy Minister Karel Havlicek said Tuesday.

Rolls-Royce SMR and Czech state-run power group CEZ have agreed "to launch preparations for the construction of small modular reactors in Detmarovice and Tusimice", Havlicek wrote on X, hailing the deal as a "fundamental energy milestone".

The two companies agreed in 2024 to develop and produce SMRs together, with the first one to be installed at the Temelin nuclear plant in the Czech Republic roughly by 2035.

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 megawatts of electricity per unit, or about a third of the generating capacity of a traditional nuclear power reactor.

They are relatively simple to build compared to large power reactors, which makes them more affordable.

CEZ has previously said it is planning to install up to 10 small modular reactors by 2050.

Havlicek told the Czech news agency CTK that other sites are also being prepared for SMRs, including in the Moravian-Silesian and Usti nad Labem regions.

"Nuclear energy is a key pillar of a stable and secure energy future for the Czech Republic, and small modular reactors will be an important part of it," he said.

The Czech Republic, an EU member of 10.9 million people, relies on nuclear power -- produced by plants at Temelin and Dukovany, both in the south of the country -- for 40 percent of its electricity consumption.

CEZ has also chosen South Korean power giant KHNP to build two conventional nuclear units at a cost of almost $9 billion at Dukovany.

With the two new units and SMRs, the share of nuclear energy is expected to rise to 50 percent as the country shifts away from burning fossil fuels.