EDF unveils data centre plans for former Cottam Power Station site. 2:02 pm 7 Nov 2026 Updated: 2:02 pm 7 Nov 2026 EDF has announced proposals to build a data centre campus on part of the former Cottam Power Station site in Bassetlaw. Public consultation will run from Monday 9 November until Sunday 6 December, with four exhibitions giving residents the opportunity to view the plans, speak to the project team and provide feedback. The campus forms part of the proposed Cottam Energy & Innovation Park, announced last year, which aims to bring energy projects and new investment to the former power station site. EDF says the site's existing electricity grid infrastructure and location make it suitable for data centres, which support businesses, public services and everyday digital services. The company says the development could create economic opportunities and deliver community benefits and improvements to local amenities. The proposals also support the wider ambition to establish the Trent Supercluster as a centre for advanced technology, innovation and clean energy. Plans announced last year by EDF and Holtec to power the campus using small modular nuclear reactors will follow a separate national planning process. Further details of those proposals are expected early next year. Maggie Brown, Commercial Development Lead at EDF, said feedback from the consultation would help shape the project. She said: "We are at an early stage in developing our proposals and are committed to engaging openly with local residents, businesses, community organisations and stakeholders. Feedback received during this consultation will help inform the development of the project wherever possible, and we encourage everyone with an interest to take part." Public consultation events will take place at: * Wednesday 11 November, 4pm-8pm: South Leverton Memorial Institute, Town Street, South Leverton. * Thursday 12 November, 4pm-8pm: Treswell Village Hall, Town Street, Treswell, DN22 0EG. * Tuesday 17 November, 4pm-8pm: Marton & Gate Burton Village Hall, Trent Port Road, Marton, DN21 5AR. * Thursday 19 November, 2pm-7pm: Rampton Village Hall, Manor Grounds, Rampton, DN22 0JU. Consultation materials will be available at cottameip.co.uk from 9 November. Residents can also contact the project team by emailing [email protected] or calling freephone 0800 043 7977.

Small Business Solar Export Exclusive tariff: get more from your solar panels. By Dylan - Small Business Marketing Team | Posted November 05, 2026 If you're thinking about installing solar panels for your business, you'll want to make the most of the electricity they generate. That's why EDF Energy Limited is introducing the Small Business Solar Export Exclusive tariff. Available to eligible businesses that install solar through Contact Solar, this tariff pays a fixed 18p per kWh for any unused electricity you export back to the grid for 12 months. Plus, you'll receive £500 off your solar installation. In simple terms, if your solar panels generate more electricity than your business needs, you can sell the extra electricity and get paid for it. What is the Small Business Solar Export Exclusive tariff? The Small Business Solar Export Exclusive tariff is an export tariff that helps eligible businesses earn money from the excess electricity generated by their solar panels. If your solar panels produce more electricity than you're using, that extra energy can be exported to the grid. With this tariff, you'll receive 18p per kWh for the electricity you export for a fixed 12-month period. Why exporting your excess solar energy matters. Solar panels can help your business generate its own electricity during the day, reducing the amount you need to buy from the grid. But on sunny days, your system may generate more electricity than you're using. Rather than letting that energy go unused, you can export it to the grid and receive payments for it. This tariff is designed to help you get more value from your solar panel investment by rewarding you for the electricity you don't use. Key features of the tariff. Fixed export payments for 12 months * Receive a fixed 18p per kWh for the electricity you export back to the grid for 12 months. Fixed rate for added certainty * Your export rate won't change during the 12-month tariff period, helping you understand the value of the electricity you're exporting Exclusively for Contact Solar customers * The tariff is available to eligible businesses that have their solar panels installed through Contact Solar Make your solar investment work harder * Earning money from excess electricity can help you get even more value from your solar panels over time. Who can apply? To be eligible for the tariff, you'll need to: * Have solar panels installed by Contact Solar * Be an EDF customer with import electricity supply * Have a half hourly capable meter * Share half-hourly meter readings Could solar work for your business? Whether you run a shop, office, workshop, warehouse or another small business, solar could help reduce the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid. And when you generate more than you use, its tariff can help you earn money from the extra electricity. Installing solar panels can help your business take greater control of its energy use and costs. With the Small Business Solar Export Exclusive tariff, you can make the most of every unit of electricity you generate by getting paid for the energy you don't use. If you're considering solar for your business, keep an eye out in the next few weeks for the launch of its exclusive tariff and offer.

The Power Proof: how electricity cushions the price shock. 5 October 2026 It's been a year of geopolitical tensions and record heatwaves in Europe. The situation is severe, yet electricity prices remain well below those of 2022. In this sombre situation, there is a silver lining; electricity acts as a price shock absorber rather than a direct pass-through mechanism for fossil fuel volatility. That's the main take of the Power Barometer report we've launched this week in Brussels. Clean, homegrown power is more resistant to shocks. This is the clear result of our intelligence analysis. While electricity prices did rise by 22% during the summer of 2026, gas prices rose four times faster, increasing by 88%. This is the Power Proof! That's not all: our analysis also shows a clear correlation between decarbonisation of the electricity mix and lower prices. The less a country relies on fossil fuels, and the more storage it has, the better shielded it is from price shocks. We unpack it all in this first #FridayFeature after the summer break. Power has proved itself in the face of crisis. At this year's Power Barometer event, sponsored by EDF and Iberdrola, more than 100 policymakers, industry leaders and energy experts came together to discuss the latest findings and what they mean for Europe's energy future. The discussions highlighted how the power sector is responding to market volatility while laying the foundations for a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy system. Despite continued turbulence in global energy markets, electricity generated from Europe's clean, homegrown energy sources has weathered the storm. Countries that have advanced decarbonisation the fastest are now in a better position when it comes to electricity prices. At EU level, the sector has come a long way. 73% of electricity generated in the EU so far this year was clean. For households and businesses alike, a more resilient and clean power system ultimately means greater protection from international fuel price shocks and more predictable energy costs. "2026 has seen severe disruption of global energy markets, once again exposing the risks of reliance on imported fossil fuels. Amidst the turmoil, we're seeing real proof that Europe's bet on clean electricity is paying off" said Kristian Ruby, Secretary General, Eurelectric. Solutions already exist. These are called decarbonised electricity sources: wind, solar, nuclear and hydropower. And for the variable part of the mix, the buzzwords are storage and grid reinforcement. Storage, grids and flexibility can't wait. Storage helps bridge the gap between production and consumption by capturing excess renewable electricity when generation is high and releasing it back into the system when demand rises. This creates flexibility in a power system where renewable energy production is variable. It is an essential tool in reducing hourly price fluctuations which hit consumers during peak demand times. Some countries are already showing what's possible. Bulgaria, for example, has achieved a remarkable feat. Just two years ago, wholesale power prices in Bulgaria were 21.2% higher than the EU average. Today, that gap has shrunk to just 8.3%. How did Bulgaria manage to reduce price volatility? By adding 5.4 GW of battery storage capacity, equivalent to almost a quarter of the country's total generation capacity. Bulgaria is not the only country to increase flexibility. Consumers in Finland have demonstrated a keen response to changing prices, with demand increasing as prices go down, and vice versa. Demand from electric boilers has already reached a significant scale, with capacity equating to roughly 25% of peak demand. From March to August 2026, Finland had Europe's lowest average power price, at €38.91/MWh. Storage does not need to be everywhere to work. It needs to be present in the hours when the system is tight. This is how a relatively small volume, correctly placed in the evening peak, moved Finland's whole national price curve. The next challenge: our grids. Progress is being made and deployment is accelerating, but still not to the level necessary as per our Grids4Speed report. The culprit? Permitting. Fixing it remains as urgent as ever. Where is demand? The next challenge: adjusting to shifting demand. While industrial demand has not fully recovered, electricity demand from e-mobility, heat pumps and data centres is increasing. This is a shift to which our sector must adapt as customer demand patterns evolve. Electric vehicles. Annual EV sales rose to almost 3 million new cars registered in 2025, a 31% increase from 2024. Moreover, BEV sales represented 17.4% of new sales in 2025. Demand for electricity to charge BEVs has grown accordingly, rising to 28.8 TWh in 2025. That's nearly the equivalent of Ireland's entire annual electricity consumption of 30.9 TWh. Charging demand could equal Poland's current annual consumption by 2035. Heat pumps. The EU heat pump market has stabilised after a contraction in demand, but the market requires sustained policy support to maintain momentum. 28 million heat pumps have been installed in the EU, though the rate of adoption needs to increase to meet the target of 60 million by 2030. Shifting industrial demand. Industrial demand has yet to recover from the 2022 crisis and remains 9% lower compared to pre-crisis levels. This reduction in demand is being partially offset by data centres which require large amounts of power for their compute capacity. Europe has the potential to become a major hub for AI computing thanks to low-cost, reliable electricity. For example, in a recent deal worth €13bn, Google signed a 22-year contract with Finnish utility company Fortum, to buy up to 50% of the output from the Loviisa nuclear power plant. Clean power is already proving to be a competitive advantage for some European countries and is supporting increased electrification across the economy. The next test: scaling success. The next phase of the energy transition will depend on making the power system smarter, more flexible and better connected. As electricity demand grows from transport, heating, data centres and industry, investment in distribution grids, storage and cross-border interconnections will become increasingly critical. At the same time, consumers themselves have a role to play. EVs, heat pumps, batteries and flexible industrial processes can help balance the system by shifting consumption to times when clean electricity is most abundant. The recipe for success is clear: * accelerate grid upgrades; * streamline permitting; * reward flexibility; and * remove policies that continue to favour fossil fuels over electricity. If Europe gets these foundations right, clean power will not only decarbonise the economy, but it will also strengthen its competitiveness, resilience and energy security for decades to come. This week's edition is written by: With technical input from: Disclaimer: This article is for communication purposes only and may not reflect Eurelectric's positions. Any positions taken in this article shall not be attributable to Eurelectric's official positioning. Official Eurelectric positions are reflected only in position papers published here. 15 October 2026 2 October 2026 1 October 2026 30 September 2026 Press contact Chiara carminucci. Advisor - Press & Media Relations