Cottam power station
Cottam power station, near Retford in Nottinghamshire, ceased generation in 2019 after over 50 years of electricity generation.

Over 50 years of electricity generation
A beacon on North Nottinghamshire’s skyline for the past 52 years, Cottam power station ceased generation on Monday 30 September 2019.
Since it started generating in 1968 the station has produced nearly 500 terawatt hours of electricity – enough to single-handedly power the UK for around 18 months. It was originally designed for 30 years of operation.
The station will now enter into the decommissioning stage, the purpose of which is to remove hazards in advance of demolition which is scheduled to begin in early 2021.
About Cottam
- Cottam coal-fired power station was commissioned in 1968 by the Central Electricity Generating Board and had a generating capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW).
- Coal burn 183,000,000 Te
- Number of trains to site – 150,000
- Total Hours generation – 1,099,000
- Start-ups – 13,145
News from Cottam

Cottam Power Station powers down after half a century

Cottam power station to cease generation

Contact Cottam
Address: EDF, Cottam Power Station, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 0NP
Community requests: stuart.lindsay@edfenergy.com
Media requests: matthew.pardo@edf-energy.com

Safety and reporting
Our number one priority is safety. Find out about our commitment to Zero Harm.

How we generate our power
As Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1) we generate power from wind + nuclear + solar.

Careers at EDF
Interested in working at EDF? Find out about our graduate programmes, apprenticeships, internships and current vacancies.