Neso has launched a consultation on EDF UK’s proposed small modular reactor project at the former Cottam coal-fired power station.

The proposal relates to EDF UK's plans to develop up to four small modular reactors on the site in Nottinghamshire. The project would generate around 1.3GW of electricity and would be among the first SMR developments in Great Britain. Neso’s current position is that the project should receive project designation status, subject to the outcome of the consultation and no concerns from Ofgem.

Cottam SMR is the first project to be considered for designation under Neso’s ‘reformed connections process’, a route for projects that do not fully align with the Government’s Clean Power 2030 Plan but may still be important for Britain’s future energy system. Such project designation can include projects involving new technologies or energy types that have reached a high level of technology readiness since the publication of the UK Government’s Clean Power Action Plan, as well as projects with unusually long development and construction timescales.

If approved, project designation would allow the project to apply for a Gate 2 connection offer, provided it meets the relevant readiness requirements.

The reactors proposed at Cottam would be the American Holtec SMR-300 pressurised water reactors and would be among the first of their type to be deployed in Great Britain.

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