Energy Department Announces $100 Billion Paducah Energy Hub: 1.8-Gigawatt SI Campus Planned at Former Uranium Site
Paducah — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on October 19 a landmark partnership with Brookfield, NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corporation, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative and Paducah Power System to redevelop portions of DOE's Paducah Site in western Kentucky into a data center campus accompanied by new energy infrastructure. The more than $100 billion privately funded investment, one of the largest in Kentucky's history, is expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs. Under the plan, NextEra Energy will develop 2 gigawatts of new grid-connected natural gas-fired generation at or near the campus, upgrade existing transmission infrastructure, and deploy up to 2.6 gigawatts of battery energy storage to support a new 1.8-gigawatt super intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) innovation campus. "The U.S. government is leveraging its assets — like our federal lands — to add power generation, create jobs, and ensure the United States wins the AI race," Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said, adding that generation and storage capacity would exceed the campus's needs so excess electricity can be delivered to the regional grid, helping reduce energy costs for families and businesses. DOE said the Paducah Site, a former uranium enrichment facility still undergoing environmental cleanup, has existing transmission capacity, water infrastructure, fiber connectivity and available land. Following a request for offers issued in November 2025, Brookfield was selected to develop and operate the data center campus and NextEra Energy to build and own the dedicated energy infrastructure; the power service agreement remains subject to approval by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. Construction is expected to be completed in 2031.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于肯塔基州的 Paducah 气体扩散厂厂区航拍图（资料图）。图片来源：美国能源部（DOE），公共领域授权。Photo: An aerial view of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in Kentucky (file photo). Source: U.S. Department of Energy, public domain.
