Czechia is preparing to build three small modular reactors as part of a wider strategy to expand nuclear power and position domestic industry inside a growing European supply chain.

The planned sites are Temelín, Dětmarovice and Tušimice, while officials are also examining other possible locations, Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček said after visiting Škoda JS in Pilsen with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

As cited by Echo24, Havlíček said the program should not be viewed only as a domestic energy project, but as part of a broader European nuclear effort in which Czech companies could play a major manufacturing role.

“At the moment, we have three locations, and we are looking for other possible locations, but this is already a fairly decent number. Not to mention that our ambition is to be in the supply chain. This means that for us this is not just a Czech project, but at least a pan-European one,” Havlíček said.

The minister said the government wants Czech industry, including Škoda JS, to capture a significant share of future SMR production, adding that components made in the country could become part of around 10 percent of small modular reactor deliveries worldwide.

Škoda JS, which is part of the ČEZ group, was selected in May by Rolls-Royce SMR as one of two suppliers of key components, including reactor pressure vessels, internal reactor parts and primary circuit equipment. ČEZ has held a 20 percent stake in Rolls-Royce SMR since last year.

Rolls-Royce SMR is expected to build its first three small modular reactors in Wales. Havlíček said the first British unit is expected in the mid-2030s, with the first Czech reactor likely to follow within about a year.

Škoda JS chief executive Karel Bednář said the Pilsen-based company is working to establish itself firmly in the Rolls-Royce SMR supply chain.

“We have signed contracts for the preparation of the production of major components with a long-term deadline, such as the reactor vessel and the installation of internal parts. Today we showed the prime minister and the minister how the preparations are going and how far we are. And they showed that Škoda still has the capacity and people here to be able to produce those components,” Bednář said.

He said cooperation with Rolls-Royce began almost three years ago and has already moved into contracted preparatory work. Contracts for the actual supply of parts are expected to follow once construction begins.