The British engineering giant revealed in October that CEZ, the Czech state energy company, had placed the first order for its small modular reactors (SMRs) and was taking a minority stake in the venture as well.
It was hailed as a landmark deal that would see the Czech Republic benefit from being part of the technology’s supply chain.
But according to local media reports, Rolls and CEZ are in disagreement about where to source key components from.
CEZ has reportedly been pushing for its subsidiary Skoda JS – a former part of the Skoda Works empire that is now separate to the car company of the same name – to be awarded the contract to manufacture reactor pressure vessels, according to Czech newspaper Ekonomicky denik.
However, the report claimed that Rolls is pushing for Doosan, in South Korea, to be given the work instead because it can do a better job for a lower price.
When everything was about government contracts and planning permissions and statecraft then deals on less than commercial terms made sense.
When you’re trying to make a plug and play mass manufacture they don’t.
Simple enough principle…..
South Korea is already cheaper than Czech? That’s some mahoosive post-communist turn-around. The usual story is South Korea moving manufactur abroad because SK wages have shot up so high.
This level of manufacturing isn’t about wages. At the top, top end (reactor casings) it’s which macihines do you have and how well do you use them?
So if we build SMRs in the UK we can expect a similar argument re. Sheffield Forgemasters?
British law tends to be red hot at British companies not paying bungs, so no one in our government will look at using SMRs from RR. Bill Gates, on the other hand…
Wasn’t the last Czech Brit collaboration the Bren gun? Pretty successful.
RR’s plans seem to be a day late and a dollar short. Others seem to be further advanced and truly small where the RR design is really mid-size. BUT I got this from wiki so it might be bollocks. Anyone know the real story?
Oh, and that Mr Gates has a contract for a fusion plant from Helion to be delivering power for a data centre by 2028.
I’m sure I’ve asked before, but whatever happened to this stuff?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB1IrzDDI9g
Rolls was also said to be frustrated that CEZ had not agreed to post engineers to Britain to help finish the company’s SMR designs.
Why aren’t they finished yet? They’ve been advertising these SMRs since David Cameron was prime minister.
Mr Gates has a contract for a fusion plant from Helion to be delivering power for a data centre by 2028.
Rilly? If true, we can all drop the net zero bollocks and ship in the power of the sun from 2029 onwards. Never mind windmills and Hinckley Point.
Marius – Pan Am used to sell tickets to the Moon iirc
That’s right, Steve. RR has been in this 10 years. Were their SMRs (sic) viable, they would have had no trouble raising capital and would be well along. Czechs appear to be suckers.
Aren’t SMRs similar to what we’ve been building for years in nuclear submarines?
Why is it taking so long for them to get it to work?
Chernyy, civilian and military nuclear reactor design criteria are radically different.
“Aren’t SMRs similar”
No.
Gamecock – you’d think the Koreans could help, they’ve built an impressive domestic nuclear industry.
Gamecock has it. Also submarines are surrounded by very large quantities of coolant.