The Czech Škoda JS was chosen as the exclusive supplier of the control rod drive for Rolls-Royce SMR.

The Czech company Škoda JS, part of the ČEZ group in majority state ownership, has been chosen as the sole and exclusive supplier of drive mechanisms for control rods (CRDM) for future small modular reactors of the British manufacturer Rolls-Royce SMR, reports World Nuclear News

This contract followed after Škoda JS and the South Korean Doosan Enerbility were previously selected for pre-production works on key components, including the reactor pressure vessel.

The drive mechanism for control rods is one of the most important safety systems of a nuclear reactor – it directly controls the reactor power and ensures its safe shutdown in all operating modes. According to ČEZ’s data, each individual drive is a specific electromechanical linear motor, nearly eight meters long and weighing about 450 kg.

Strategic partnership: from Temelín to the global supply chain

The connection between the Czech energy industry and the British SMR project is extremely deep: the Czech state-owned ČEZ bought a 20% stake in Rolls-Royce SMR and, in addition to the United Kingdom (where the first location was chosen as Wylfa in North Wales), the first Czech SMR with a capacity of 470 megawatts will be built at the Temelín site in the second half of the 2030s, after which there are plans to build another 5 to 6 units at sites of former coal-fired plants (such as Tušimice). Škoda JS is currently developing a prototype specifically intended for Rolls-Royce SMR, with the aim of delivering these components for all plants that the British will build around the world.

The CEO of ČEZ, Daniel Beneš, stressed that global supply chains for SMR are forming right now and that companies entering at the outset secure contracts for the coming decades.

Comment: an industrial base as a prerequisite for nuclear sovereignty (and a lesson for the Balkans)

The example of the Czech company Škoda JS provides the best proof of why a domestic industrial and expert base is crucial for any country entering a nuclear program: when a country possesses scientific, educational, mechanical, engineering, and production capacities, a nuclear project potentially becomes a huge driver of industrial growth and exports, something we'd like to see in our region as well.

Because Škoda JS did not get this job by chance. Over the decades, the factory in Plzeň produced 21 reactors of the VVER-440 type and three VVER-1000 reactors, with ongoing maintenance and supply of equipment for power plants across Europe, the US and Asia. The industrial tradition has enabled them to position themselves immediately as an equal partner to British Rolls-Royce. Moreover – by entering the ownership structure of Rolls-Royce SMR and engaging a domestic Škoda JS factory, Prague has ensured that a significant portion of the money spent on the energy transition stays in the domestic economy.

For countries in our region considering nuclear options (such as Serbia), the Czech model is a clear indicator: building a reactor must be accompanied by timely mapping and the development of local construction, mechanical, and electrical engineering capacities.

S.A.