ČEZ has set aside an area at the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant as a potential location for the Czech Republic’s first small modular reactor (SMR). It says the site will not impact on plans to build two more large-scale units.

There are already two units at Temelín (Image: ČEZ)

ČEZ signed a Memorandum of Understanding on SMRs with NuScale in September 2019 and one with NuScale in February 2020. It also has cooperation agreements with GE Hitachi, Rolls-Royce, EDF, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Holtec.

On March 31 it said it had informed the South Bohemian Region about the plan. The company said that Temelín was a "proven nuclear site" offering "a stable geological bedrock" and "an abundance of experienced operating personnel".

"This activity does not interfere in any way with our plan to build two standard units at the Temelín site. Options for them are also part of the tender for the construction of a new nuclear unit at Dukovany, which we launched two weeks ago," said ČEZ CEO and Chairman Daniel Beneš.

"From the viewpoint of nuclear power, Temelín is a suitable site, and I know from my experience that it is necessary to focus on the future. Small modular reactors are the future of energy, and that is why I am actively entering these negotiations on behalf of the South Bohemian Region and support a joint approach," said Martin Kuba, Governor of the South Bohemian Region.

The Czech Republic has six nuclear reactors - including two at Temelin - generating about one-third of the country’s electricity. With three new reactors planned, including two at Temelin, the aim is for nearly 60% of the country’s electricity to be from nuclear.

Small modular reactors are defined by World Nuclear Assocation as generally 300 MWe equivalent or less, designed with modular technology using mobile factory fabrication, pursuing economies of series production and short construction time.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News