A joint venture has been agreed to develop small modular reactors at the former Cottam coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire in a project that could create thousands of jobs. 

Holtec International, EDF UK and Tritax Management announced their intent to work together to develop Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactors to provide clean, secure power to new, advanced data centres on the Cottam site. 

This intent is formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed between Holtec, EDF UK and its real estate partner Tritax Management. 

The 900-acre Cottam site could create thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs, as well as long-term roles in operations. The project will also enable foreign direct investment into the UK, including into nuclear fuel fabrication and services by Framatome and turbine manufacture by Arabelle Solutions.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “Small modular reactors will play a key role in our future clean energy mix, with Holtec and EDF’s proposed development at the old coal-fired power station in Nottinghamshire demonstrating the transition to clean power in action, and how this can power industries of the future. 

 

“By working with the US, we will reap the benefits of this golden age of nuclear, powering British homes with clean, homegrown energy, delivering well-paid skilled jobs and getting energy bills down for good.”

Simone Rossi, chief executive of EDF in the UK, said: “EDF is excited to be exploring this major infrastructure project that could transform both the Cottam site, and the wider region. 

 

“This opens the potential for the area to continue to play a key role in the UK’s energy system for decades to come.”

The UK programme will benefit directly from Holtec’s SMR-300 deployment at Palisades, Michigan – the first SMR-300 plant in the US.

Holtec International will provide the SMR-300 technology and lead early development activities. Feasibility studies and early-stage investment discussions are now underway, with Holtec International and EDF UK engaged with relevant parties within UK and US governments, including Great British Energy – Nuclear and The National Wealth Fund. 

Dr Rick Springman, president of Global Clean Energy Opportunities, Holtec, said: “Together with EDF and Tritax, we will help the UK seize a leadership position in both advanced nuclear deployment and the global AI race. 

 

“The SMR-300s at Cottam represent a potential $15bn project, creating thousands of local jobs while drawing on the lessons from our Palisades project in Michigan. With this second-of-a-kind deployment, the UK is well positioned to join a global coalition of countries adopting the SMR-300 to drive long-term economic growth.”

James Dunlop, chief executive of Tritax Management, added: “The Cottam project is another example of the collaboration between EDF and Tritax to deliver projects of scale to accelerate the development of a substantial cluster of data centres. 

 

“This development showcases how government and the private sector can work together to deliver best in class low carbon energy generation to enhance the UK’s critical national infrastructure.”

The 1GW data centre project for Cottam is targeted to come online by the end of the decade and forms part of the Trent Valley Supercluster, submitted as an AI Growth Zone to the UK Government. The data centre project will initially have a significant contribution from renewable generation, with the SMR element becoming operational in the 2030s.

Mayor Claire Ward, East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA), said: “This project will be transformational for Nottinghamshire and the wider East Midlands. By bringing together advanced nuclear technology with the fast-growing digital economy, it will create thousands of high-quality jobs in construction, manufacturing and operations.

 

“It builds on our region’s proud energy heritage and, as part of the Trent Valley Supercluster, ensures sites like Cottam remain at the forefront of clean energy and innovation for decades to come.”

 

“The East Midlands is already home to world-class engineering, manufacturing and energy expertise. This investment will not only deliver long-term skilled employment and attract new supply chains, but it also underlines our wider ambition for the Supercluster to be a magnet for research, inward investment and technological leadership. It is a powerful demonstration of how the East Midlands can lead the UK in clean energy, advanced technology and economic growth.”

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