For more than 50 years, Cottam Power Station helped power homes and businesses across the country. Following its closure in 2019, we have been exploring opportunities to secure the long-term future of the site.
Cottam Energy & Innovation Park would create a new role for Cottam in supporting the technologies, services and industries of the future. It would comprise a number of elements:
The western part of the site would host data centre buildings along with supporting infrastructure such as access routes, substations and water management areas.
The eastern part of the site, between the data campus and the Trent, would host four Small Modular Reactors. These are an advanced form of nuclear technology that, once built, would provide the data centre campus with a reliable supply of clean energy.
We plan to improve and open part of the site to the public. This could include introducing new foot and cycle paths to allow access to the Trent.
The data centre campus will connect to the National Grid at Cottam Substation.
The proposed data centre campus and SMRs are different types of development, and require different types of planning permission.
The data centre campus will require planning permission from Bassetlaw District Council. We are currently preparing a planning application, which we expect to submit to the Council next year.
The SMRs require a Development Consent Order (DCO) in order to be built. This involves seeking development consent from the government through a separate, national, planning process. We will share more details about this separately as our plans progress.
Cottam was one of three coal-fired power stations located along the Trent, together with West Burton and High Marnham. Each is now being considered for new roles in supporting advanced technology, innovation and clean energy.
Together, these sites benefit from strategic locations and established connections to the National Grid, which once enabled them to supply power across the country.
At Cottam, this existing grid infrastructure makes it well suited to supporting new digital infrastructure alongside energy generation. Reflecting this, the site has been proposed for inclusion in a wider AI Growth Zone.
The project would contribute to the wider ambition of establishing the Trent Supercluster as a nationally significant hub for advanced technology, innovation and clean energy.