The submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key part of the permitting process and assesses the potential impact on the area from the proposed small modular reactor (SMR) project, as well as putting forward steps to minimise any impact.
ČEZ said: "We pay significant attention to water. Water availability is one of the basic criteria when selecting and preparing locations for SMRs. Preparation includes detailed surveys and long-term monitoring focused, among other things, on water resources and their future availability. The results so far confirm that water availability does not represent an obstacle, even when taking into account the worsening drought."
The ministry will assess the documentation and take public comments. The EIA process is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
Daniel Beneš, Chairman and CEO of ČEZ, said: "We are counting on small modular reactors alongside large nuclear power plants and renewable sources. They are also a great opportunity for Czech companies. The supply chain for small modular reactors is being formed right now. Companies that join this global chain at the very beginning have the potential to win orders for decades to come, because they will supply the entire SMR fleet in the Czech Republic and abroad."
Background
The Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe design based on a small pressurised water reactor. It will provide consistent baseload generation for at least 60 years. Ninety percent of the SMR - measuring about 16 metres by 4 metres - will be built in factory conditions, limiting activity on-site primarily to assembly of pre-fabricated, pre-tested, modules which significantly reduces project risk and has the potential to drastically shorten build schedules.
In October 2024, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected by ČEZ to deploy up to 3 GW of electricity in the Czech Republic, and ČEZ took a 20% stake in Rolls-Royce SMR. The plan is for this first SMR to be deployed in the area of the Temelín site (which already has two gigawatt-scale VVER-1000 units), with further projects being developed for coal-fired power plant sites, including Tušimice.
In June 2025, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the UK government's preferred technology for the country's first SMR project. In November, the UK government announced that Wylfa on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, would be the site to host the three Rolls-Royce SMR units. It said the site - where a Magnox plant is being decommissioned - could potentially host up to eight SMRs. A final investment decision is expected to be taken in 2029.
The submission of the EIA follows the signing of Early Works Contracts between Rolls-Royce SMR and ČEZ, supporting the preparation of the site and working to secure the permits required for construction at Temelín. It also builds on a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year between Rolls-Royce SMR, ČEZ and the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade which enabled site preparation activities for further deployments in Tušimice and Dětmarovice.
The UK project is expected to be the first Rolls-Royce SMR deployed, with Temelín to host the second, with a target operational date "in the second half of the 2030s".
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