Rolls-Royce SMR, ABB agree to collaborate

Within the scope of the MoU the two companies will explore collaboration opportunities on Rolls-Royce SMR's plans to develop a fleet of units. Switzerland-based global engineering company ABB will explore how its automation, electrification, instrumentation and communication solutions across its three business areas can enable the SMR projects to scale.

The MoU collaboration will be developed through ABB's UK operations, which are headquartered in Warrington.

"Rolls-Royce SMR is transforming the way nuclear projects are delivered, to give greater cost and schedule certainty with a standardised, factory-built approach," said Stacy O'Brien, Head of Procurement Enterprise at Rolls-Royce SMR. "ABB has a long and impressive record of delivering automation and electrification solutions to energy infrastructure projects and this agreement brings an opportunity to consider how we can further strengthen our delivery team."

"We are delighted to explore how we can work with Rolls-Royce SMR on its efforts to develop a global fleet of SMRs that can help expand reliable and affordable baseload power capacity to meet an increasing demand for low-carbon energy," said Per Erik Holsten, President of ABB's Energy Industries division. "Collaboration is also key - no single company or country alone can deliver the scale of energy expansion and energy transformation required to meet future demand. Partnerships along the energy value chain are instrumental for accelerating the commercialisation of modern, advanced nuclear technologies."

The Rolls-Royce SMR is a 470 MWe design based on a pressurised water reactor. It will be capable of powering one million UK homes for 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 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 the first SMR to be deployed in the area of the Temelín site (which already has two gigawatt-scale VVER-100 units), with further projects being developed for coal-fired power plant sites, including Tušimice. Rolls-Royce SMR has signed an early works agreement with ČEZ to progress licensing, permitting and site-specific design for deployment.

In June 2025, Rolls-Royce SMR was selected as the UK government's preferred technology for the country's first SMR project. A final investment decision is expected to be taken in 2029. 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. In April, Rolls-Royce SMR signed a contract with GBE-N to begin site-specific design and delivery activities for the UK's first SMRs at Wylfa.

In October 2024, Swedish lead-cooled small modular reactor technology developer Blykalla and ABB signed an MoU under which ABB would explore how its automation, electrification and digitalisation solutions could support Blykalla's SMR prototype SEALER-E, which features an electric lead-cooled reactor. This includes cybersecurity frameworks to ensure compliance with nuclear safety regulations. In September last year, the two companies signed an MoU to accelerate the deployment of such lead-cooled SMRs for the maritime market. In May this year, Blykalla and ABB signed a Joint Development Agreement, marking a significant step forward in their collaboration and formally advancing their partnership.