The Czech government has approved the British company Rolls-Royce as a partner of the state energy group CEZ for the development of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR).
The Czech Republic depends on the two CEZ nuclear plants for 30% of its electricity production.
"The government has confirmed and approved the partnership with Rolls-Royce SMR," said Prime Minister Peter Fiala, quoted by AFP.
Prague does not want to buy SMRs, but to enable Czech companies to develop and manufacture them, he explained.
"This is precisely what the strategic cooperation with Rolls-Royce enables," Fiala said, adding that the first Czech SMR could be built in the first half of the 2030s.
CEZ, which operates the nuclear power plants in the southern settlements of Temelin and Dukovani, plans to install the first SMR in Temelin.
Other contenders for the partnership include US giant Westinghouse, US-Japanese group GE Hitachi and France's EDF.
CEZ previously said it plans to install up to 10 small modular reactors by 2050.
Compared to conventional nuclear reactors, SMRs are relatively easy to build because their systems and components can be assembled in a factory setting and transported to the installation site.
They are also more affordable than large reactors and carry a low risk of a major accident.
In July, CEZ announced it had selected South Korean energy giant KHNP to build two conventional nuclear units worth almost $9 billion at Dukovani.
The new units will increase nuclear power's share of the economy to 50% as coal-fired power stations are phased out as part of the transition to greener energy sources.
The government expects the first new KHNP reactor to be put into trial operation in 2036 | BGNES
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