Federal government to turn a Kentucky uranium plant into an AI data center and gas power complex
Summary
The U.S. Department of Energy is turning a former uranium enrichment plant in Paducah, Kentucky, into a large artificial intelligence (AI) data center with its own natural gas power plant and battery storage. The project, managed by Brookfield Asset Management and supported by NextEra Energy, aims to create thousands of jobs and boost technology infrastructure, with construction completing around 2031.Key Facts
- The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, once used for uranium enrichment, will become an AI data center complex.
- The project includes building a 1.8 gigawatt AI data center powered by up to 2 gigawatts of natural gas power and 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage.
- Brookfield Asset Management will develop and operate the data center, investing about $100 billion overall.
- NextEra Energy will build and own the gas power plant and electrical grid upgrades.
- The project will create thousands of jobs and invest tens of billions of dollars in rural western Kentucky.
- The plant shut down in 2013 and is currently undergoing cleanup and decontamination.
- Similar projects are planned at other former DOE sites, including Portsmouth, Ohio, and Savannah River Site, South Carolina.
- The effort supports national goals to advance U.S. leadership in AI technology and economic growth.
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