Rolls-Royce SMR announced on May 28, 2026 that it has selected Czech manufacturer Skoda JS and South Korea's Doosan Enerbility to carry out pre-production work for the most demanding components of its small modular reactor, including the reactor pressure vessel. The dual-supplier strategy is designed to harden the program's supply chain ahead of first power at the UK's Wylfa site and the Czech Republic's Temelin site, the two anchor projects for the 470 MWe design.
What the Suppliers Will Build
Skoda JS and Doosan Enerbility will jointly handle "early supplier engagement, design finalisation and manufacturing readiness" for the reactor pressure vessels and other nuclear island heavy components, Rolls-Royce SMR said. The Plzen-based Skoda JS will produce reactor pressure vessels, internal parts, the reactor lid, volume compensators and other heavy elements; Doosan Enerbility, one of Asia's largest forgers of nuclear-grade steel, will mirror that scope, providing redundancy and capacity.
"These are some of the most important long-lead items in nuclear plant construction. Forming strategic relationships now ensures these critical components can be designed for manufacture, reducing project risk and enabling on-time delivery," said Ruth Todd, Rolls-Royce SMR's operations and supply chain director.
Anchor Projects: Wylfa and Temelin
Rolls-Royce SMR was selected by Czech utility CEZ in October 2024 to deploy up to 3 GW of generation, with CEZ taking a 20% stake in the company. Temelin, which already hosts two gigawatt-scale VVER-1000 units, will get the first Czech SMR, with further units planned for retiring coal-power sites such as Tusimice. In November 2025, the UK government picked the Anglesey island town of Wylfa as the site for at least three Rolls-Royce SMR units, with a final investment decision expected in 2029 and capacity for as many as eight units.
A Geopolitical Supply-Chain Statement
The choice of Skoda JS, which is owned by CEZ, and Doosan Enerbility binds the program's heaviest forging work to two countries with active nuclear export ambitions. "This is a fundamental shift," said Skoda JS chairman and CEO Karel Bednar. "It means that our company, in global competition as a purely Czech manufacturer, has joined the global supply chain of the rapidly growing nuclear energy sector and will play a crucial role in SMR projects not only in the Czech Republic."
Each Rolls-Royce SMR unit will generate enough power for roughly one million homes for at least 60 years. Roughly 90% of the reactor — a structure about 16 metres by 4 metres — is intended to be built in factory conditions, with site work limited mostly to assembly of pre-tested modules.
Context in the Western SMR Race
The deal is the latest in a wave of Western SMR supply moves. The U.S. Department of Energy recently put $94 million behind eight U.S. SMR developers, and Sweden's Blykalla has applied to build the country's first six-SEALER SMR power plant. Like its peers, Rolls-Royce SMR is racing to lock in long-lead forgings before competing reactor builds queue up for the same global pool of nuclear-grade steel.
Reporting based on coverage from World Nuclear News, the Korea Herald and Rolls-Royce SMR.