Holtec International, EDF UK and Tritax Management have agreed to collaborate to deploy a data center and small modular reactor at a retired coal site in Nottinghamshire, England.
According to a joint press release, the three companies intend to formalize their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding.
The three companies intend to develop a one gigawatt or 1,000-megawatt data center at the retired coal site in Nottinghamshire, Cottam. The coal-fired plant ceased operations in September 2019.
The proposed data center planned to be powered by Holtec’s SMR-300, a pressurized light water reactor with the output of 300 megawatts, according to the release.
The proposed data center project is targeted to come online by the end of the decade and the SMR is planned to become operational in the 2030s, according to the release.
The data center is part of the Trent Valley Supercluster, submitted as an AI (artificial intelligence) Growth Zone to the United Kingdom government.
The Trent Valley Supercluster is a planned advanced zone in the UK’s East Midlands centered around retired coal-fired power stations and intended to become a hub for clean energy, AI and technology businesses.
Feasibility studies and early-stage investment discussion are currently taking place, according to the release. Holtec and EDF UK are engaged with significant parties within UK and U.S. governments, which include Great British Energy – Nuclear and the National Wealth Fund.
The Cottam site has 900 acres worth of land and has grid connections and critical infrastructure that could reduce development costs and timelines, according to the release.
EDF UK is a subsidiary to EDF Energy, a French major energy company and Tritax Management is a logistics real estate fund manager that works across the UK and Europe.
The companies’ said the project could create thousands of manufacturing and construction jobs as well as long-term positions in operations. It could also enable foreign direct investment into the UK., including into nuclear fuel fabrication and services by Framatome and turbine manufacture by Arabelle Solutions, according to the release.