UK-based nuclear plant developer Rolls-Royce SMR and Czech utility ČEZ have signed an early works agreement enabling site-specific work to begin for a new small modular reactor (SMR) at the Temelín site.

Under the agreement, a joint team will begin site-specific activities, initially focused on the Temelín site – home to the existing Temelín nuclear power station, operated by ČEZ, in the southern Czech Republic. Additional deployment opportunities are also being explored at Tusimice in the northwest of the country.

The first SMR is expected to be built at Temelín in the mid-2030s, a statement said.