Data centre plan for former Ratcliffe power station
Plans to redevelop parts of a huge Nottinghamshire brownfield site into a home for data centres have gone out for public consultation this week.
The country’s last remaining coal power plant at Ratcliffe-on-Soar was eventually switched off in 2024, following a two-year delay precipitated by a spike in natural gas prices, ending 142 years of coal-powered generation in the UK.
A year prior to the shutdown, the government designated the site as part of the East Midlands Freeport, a trio of industrial regeneration sites in Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire set to benefit from tax incentives and a simplified customs procedure – along with six other similar “freeport” projects across the UK.
According to government investment papers, the 675-acre site will become a “zero-carbon technology and energy hub” for the East Midlands, with plans for electric battery manufacturing and hydrogen-related industries previously earmarked for the site.
However, part of the site could also be converted into a huge data centre – notoriously high users of water and energy – if proposals put forward by Rushcliffe Borough Council this week are adopted.
The Ratcliffe-on-Soar site prior to shutdown in 2024. Credit: Uniper
The authority wants to amend a Local Development Order for the site to include “businesses that store, process and distribute data and applications electronically” in its list of potential uses.
It says the move is in response to new national government planning policies which recognise data centres as “critical national infrastructure”, and specifically aim to encourage “clusters of knowledge and data-driven, creative or high technology industries” which rely on them for data storage.
Since closing for the final time in September 2024, the former power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar has been undergoing decommissioning work, which is expected to last until March 2026.
Demolition work at the 273-acre site was approved by planners in October, with work due to begin next year. Contractors expected to be on the site until 2030 at least.
Leader of Rushcliffe Borough Council, cllr Neil Clarke said: “Have your say on the future of this hugely important strategic and iconic site that could shape this part of Rushcliffe and the East Midlands and attract significant investment in the region.
“An updated LDO could secure its long-term future for it to remain a site of local, regional and national importance and we want to play our part as the local authority to maximise its potential.
“It’s important to positively shape the future of the site and an updated LDO could deliver a major role in its future.”
The consultation, available to view on the Rushcliffe council website, is due to end in early January.
