World’s leading industrial technology company Rolls-Royce signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Czech utility group ČEZ to explore the potential for compact nuclear power stations, known as small modular reactors (SMR), to be built in the Czech Republic.
Rolls-Royce is leading the UK SMR Consortium that is designing this type of low-cost nuclear power station. Its standardised, factory-made components and advanced manufacturing processes push down costs and the rapid assembly of the modules inside a weatherproof canopy at the power station site itself speeds up schedules.
“Nuclear power is central to tackling climate change and economic recovery across the world,” said Tom Samson, interim Chief Executive Officer of the UK SMR consortium. “The affordability and speed with which we can assemble the entire power station will no doubt make it a very attractive option for ČEZ as it looks to its future reliable low carbon energy supply. I look forward to developing this important relationship for the future.”
The UK SMR Consortium is working with its partners and UK Government to secure a commitment for a fleet of factory-built nuclear power stations in the UK, with exports of the design being explored in tandem.
“New energy solutions and technologies play an important role in our business and we have been focusing on small modular reactors for quite some time now, especially in our top research company UJV Řež,” added Daniel Beneš, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of ČEZ. “In the future, they can be an important alternative that we cannot ignore. The partnership with Rolls-Royce and other global companies is therefore a logical step in our endeavour.”
