A vision to transform vast swathes of land outside Nottingham into a colossal 'gigafactory', hotel and food and drink outlets is edging closer to reality, according to council documents.
Rushcliffe Borough Council is working with Uniper, the landowner of the site, to redevelop the site once the coal-fired Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station closes in September 2024.
It has been proposed the vast region will be transformed into a "diverse, multi-occupant, low-carbon and green energy, and advanced manufacturing hub".
Uniper has already received planning permission for a new waste incinerator on part of the power station site, known as the East Midlands Energy Re-Generation (EMERGE) Centre.
It follows a submission by the East Midlands Freeport Board last year, which outlined its business case for the wider site to the Government, with hopes to create tens of thousands of jobs.
According to Rushcliffe planning documents it is anticipated the site has the potential to be used for low-carbon energy production, storage and distribution, the hosting of manufacturing businesses and "opportunities for gigafactories for battery and electric vehicle manufacturing".
Gigafactories are most notably used by the world's richest man, Elon Musk, for the manufacturing of Tesla's batteries as well as accompanying hardware and technology such as energy storage products.
'Giga' simply means 'billions' and Tesla's factory in Nevada is set to become the world's largest building in sheer scale.
The economic significance of these colossal factories is evident, as shown in recently approved plans for a gigafactory in Coventry which looks set to provide thousands of jobs and boost the Midlands economy by up to £2.5 billion.
A Uniper spokeswoman said: "The letter requesting an Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Opinion from Rushcliffe Borough Council relates to the proposed redevelopment of the Ratcliffe power station site.
"Rushcliffe Borough Council is working with Uniper to explore options for the future redevelopment of the site. The emerging vision for Ratcliffe is to move towards becoming a zero carbon technology and energy hub for the East Midlands, supporting continued economic growth, and helping to meet the region’s decarbonisation goals."
It is hoped the plan could help Nottinghamshire County Council reach its target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, a few years after Nottingham City Council hopes to slash its carbon by 2028.
Rushcliffe Borough Council has now submitted an environmental impact assessment screening opinion request.
This means the environmental impacts of future plans will be assessed.
The document states permitted uses of the land will include 760,000 meters-squared of new accommodation and ten hectares of solar power generation.
It states other uses could include office space as well as small scale retail, food and beverage facilities and a hotel.
Such development would complement the newly-announced HS2 station at East Midlands Parkway where the high speed line will now terminate, before the trains continue on existing but upgraded lines.
East Midlands Chamber director of policy and external affairs, Chris Hobson, told Nottinghamshire Live: “The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station site offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the East Midlands to thrust itself to the centre of the energy transition, which will undoubtedly be the next major economic development as we hurtle towards net zero.
“While we may not know for some time yet exactly what the future of the power plant following decommissioning will be, some ambitious ideas have already been put forward – ranging from a gigafactory that powers the automotive industry’s transition to electric vehicles, to a production hub for nuclear fusion reactors.
“It’s exciting to see some of these potential uses now highlighted in the public domain and we look forward to more details being announced in due course."
The Uniper spokeswoman added: "The council recently invited local residents to have their say on the site proposals and a Local Development Order (LDO) that could grant planning permission for a range of modern industrial uses on the redeveloped site, including advanced manufacturing, low-carbon energy production, battery production, energy storage, logistics, and research and development.
"Rushcliffe Borough Council held a public consultation on the initial plans for the site, from November 29 to January 10, 2022. The public consultation period is now closed, and the feedback received is currently being reviewed."
Rushcliffe Borough Council says it would not be commenting because the planning application is live.
