DOE partners with Brookfield and NextEra to redevelop Kentucky's Paducah Site into a $100B+ AI data center campus with new affordable energy infrastructure.

Brookfield and NextEra Energy are planning a $100 billion data center campus at a former uranium enrichment site in Paducah, Kentucky, capitalizing on surging demand from artificial intelligence companies for computing infrastructure and electricity generation. The project is being developed by a coalition including Brookfield, NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corp., Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, and Paducah Power System.

The campus is expected to deliver more than 1.2 gigawatts of data center computing capacity and up to 1.8 gigawatts of power capacity, with full operational status targeted for 2032. NextEra will provide 2 gigawatts of natural gas-fired power and 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage capacity to support the development, while Brookfield will own and manage the data center operations.

The site is located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Paducah Site, built in the 1950s to produce enriched uranium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program before transitioning to produce enriched uranium for civilian nuclear reactors. The facility was decommissioned in 2013. The site already possesses critical infrastructure—electricity transmission capacity, water access, and fiber connectivity—that could accelerate the campus's development.

The project reflects the strain that AI data centers are placing on the U.S. power grid as technology companies rapidly expand their AI infrastructure, demanding substantial electricity to operate data centers and the computing systems that train and run AI models. NextEra emphasized that the development aligns with the Trump administration's "Ratepayer Protection Pledge," which aims to ensure that companies building and operating data centers pay rates that prevent passing electricity costs to average households.

Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt stated that the Paducah site would serve as the starting point for the company's plans to invest $100 billion in AI infrastructure overall. The project remains subject to negotiations and execution of definitive agreements, with the companies not yet indicating that all proposed elements have been finalized. Development is expected to proceed in stages, with completion targeted for 2032.