| Cottam power station | |
|---|---|
 The power station, viewed from the north. July 2006. | |
 | |
| Country | England |
| Location | Cottam |
| Coordinates | 53°18′14″N 0°46′53″W / 53.304°N 0.7815°W |
| Status | Decommissioned, undergoing demolition. |
| Construction began | 1964 |
| Commission date | 1968[1][2] |
| Decommission date | 30 September 2019[1][3] |
| Operators | Central Electricity Generating Board (1968–1990) Powergen (1990–2000) EDF Energy (2000–present) |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Coal |
| Secondary fuel | Oil |
| Tertiary fuel | Biomass |
| Site elevation |
|
| Chimneys | 1 |
| Cooling towers | 8 |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 4 |
| Make and model | English Electric Co. Ltd. |
| Units decommissioned | 4 |
| Nameplate capacity | 2,000 MW |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
grid reference NZ174644 | |
Cottam power station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station. The site extends over 620 acres (250 ha) of mainly arable land and is situated at the eastern edge of Nottinghamshire on the west bank of the River Trent at Cottam near Retford. The larger coal-fired station was decommissioned by EDF Energy in 2019 in line with the UK's goal to meet its zero-coal power generation by 2025.[3][4] The smaller in-use station is Cottam Development Centre, a combined cycle gas turbine plant commissioned in 1999, with a generating capacity of 440 MW. This plant is owned by Uniper.
The site is one of a number of power stations located along the Trent valley and is one of the Hinton Heavies. The West Burton power stations are 3.5 miles (5.6 km) downstream and Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station is 52 miles (84 km) upstream. The decommissioned High Marnham Power Station was 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream. Under the Central Electricity Generating Board in 1981/82 Cottam power station was awarded the Christopher Hinton trophy in recognition of good housekeeping; the award was presented by junior Energy Minister David Mellor. After electricity privatisation in 1990, ownership moved to Powergen. In October 2000, the plant was sold to London Energy, who are part of EDF Energy, for £398 million.[5]
In January 2019, EDF Energy announced that the coal station was due to cease generation in September 2019 after more than 50 years of operation.[6] The station closed as planned on 30 September 2019.[1][2] Demolition of Cottam Power Station began in 2021, with Brown and Mason carrying out the works.[citation needed]
- ^ a b c "Power station closes after more than 50 years". BBC News. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ a b Fletcher, Nicholas (30 September 2019). "Cottam power station shuts down after more than 50 years". Lincolnshire Live. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Cottam". EDF Energy. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ Ambrose, Jillian (13 June 2019). "UK to be left with five coal power stations after latest closure". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- ^ "Powergen generates £398m from Cottam". The Telegraph. London. 17 October 2000. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
- ^ "One of UK's last coal power stations to close due to rising costs". The Telegraph. London. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.