Holtec International, EDF UK and Tritax Management have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop Holtec’s SMR-300 small modular reactors at the former Cottam power station in Nottinghamshire.
The reactors will be used to provide clean, secure power to new, advanced data centres on the 900-acre site.
The 1GW data centre project at 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.
Ed Miliband, energy secretary, 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, CEO of EDF in the UK, added: “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.”
Dr Rick Springman, president of global clean energy opportunities at 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, CEO 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.”
