Coalition to build data center and dedicated power campus at DOE's Paducah site

Overview

Updated Jul 29

A coalition led by Brookfield and NextEra Energy is turning part of the former Paducah uranium plant into an AI computing campus with its own gas plants and batteries. The Department of Energy signed a lease for about 785 acres at the site in July 2026, and the campus is slated for full build-out by 2032.

The project has picked up political friction. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order in August setting standards for data centers and said the White House never briefed him on the project's scope. In Congress, a bill to ban large AI data centers on federal land would block the campus if it became law, and in October a nuclear enrichment startup won acceptance of its license application to enrich uranium at the site again.

Why it matters

AI data centers are straining local grids and raising home power bills. This project tests whether builders can pay for their own electricity instead.

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Key Indicators

$100B

Private investment

Privately funded, not paid for by existing utility customers. A DOE media advisory in October cited $153 billion, which an agency official said likely includes possible expansions.

4.6 GW

New dedicated generation

Up to 2 GW of natural gas plus 2.6 GW of battery storage built for the site.

1.2 GW

Computing capacity

Over 1.2 gigawatts of compute load, with 1.8 GW of total utility capacity.

785 acres

Leased land

DOE signed the AI infrastructure lease in July 2026, according to a GAO review. The parcel still needs environmental remediation.

8,000

Construction jobs

Temporary jobs during the build-out, plus 600 permanent operations roles.

2032

Target full build-out

The first phase is expected online in 2028, with construction completed around 2031 and full development by 2032.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Chris Wright

U.S. Secretary of Energy

Backing the Paducah project as part of a federal land program

John W. Ketchum

Chief Executive, NextEra Energy

Leads the company selected to build and own the site's power

Organizations Involved

Brookfield

Asset manager

Selected to develop and operate the data center campus

Brookfield is a global infrastructure investor chosen to build and run the Paducah computing campus.

NextEra Energy, Inc.

Utility and Renewable Developer

Selected to build and own the dedicated generation

NextEra will build and own the natural gas plants and battery storage that power the Paducah campus.

U.S. Department of Energy

Federal agency

Owns the land; signed a roughly 785-acre lease for the campus in July 2026

The Department of Energy owns the Paducah site and opened it to private AI development.

Big Rivers Electric Corporation

Electric cooperative

Regional utility partner in the coalition

Big Rivers is a Western Kentucky generation and transmission cooperative helping connect the campus to the grid.

General Matter

Nuclear fuel startup

NRC accepted its first license application in October 2026

General Matter is a nuclear enrichment startup seeking to enrich uranium at the Paducah site again.

Timeline

January 1952 October 2026

10 events Latest: October 29th, 2026 · 1 week ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
DOE official visits Paducah as enrichment license is accepted
Latest Announcement

Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh toured the site with General Matter chief executive Scott Nolan, whose company's NRC license application was accepted that day. A DOE media advisory put the project at $153 billion; Walsh said that figure likely includes possible expansions.
October 29th, 2026
GAO review documents 785-acre Paducah lease
Report

A Government Accountability Office review of six nuclear cleanup sites said DOE signed the roughly 785-acre AI infrastructure lease at Paducah in July 2026. The land still requires remediation.
October 2026
August 2026
Beshear says White House left him out of Paducah rollout
Statement

Beshear said he was told an announcement was coming but that neither DOE nor the companies briefed him on the project's scope, power demand or design. DOE said it notified the governor's office before and during the announcement week.
August 13th, 2026
Beshear sets state standards for data centers
Policy

The Kentucky governor's executive order set baseline standards for data centers and directed the Public Service Commission to block utilities from raising rates to recover data center costs.
August 6th, 2026
July 2026
$100 billion Paducah campus announced
Announcement

Brookfield and NextEra lead a coalition to build a data center campus with up to 4.6 GW of dedicated new power, targeting full build-out by 2032.
July 29th, 2026
Bill filed to ban AI data centers on federal land
Policy

Rep. Rashida Tlaib introduced the No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act days before the Paducah announcement. It would bar large AI data centers on federal property, which includes the Paducah site.
July 2026
July 2025
DOE opens four federal sites to AI developers
Policy

The Department of Energy names Paducah, Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge and Savannah River for private data center and power projects.
July 24th, 2025
2013
Enrichment ends, plant returns to DOE
Background

Commercial enrichment stops and the facilities go back to the Department of Energy's cleanup program.
2013
1994
Site added to Superfund list
Background

Contamination of soil and groundwater lands the plant on the federal Superfund National Priorities List.
1994
January 1952
Paducah uranium plant opens
Background

The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant begins enriching uranium, first for weapons and later for reactor fuel.
January 1st, 1952

Scenarios

Paducah campus breaks ground on schedule

Likely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Department of Energy, Brookfield and NextEra project statements; Power Magazine

Permits, cleanup carve-outs and grid agreements come together, and the coalition starts construction on the data center or its power plants. Backers point to the White House permitting orders and the ready federal land. The risk is that environmental review of a former Superfund site slows the first shovels.

NextEra builds the dedicated gas and battery power

Possible Resolves by End of 2029

Discussed by: NextEra Energy filings; Kentucky Lantern; Data Center Knowledge

NextEra completes at least part of the planned natural gas generation and battery storage that powers the site. Success here is the core promise: new supply that the project pays for. Delays in gas turbine orders or state permitting could push the first megawatts past the timeline.

Project shrinks, stalls or is canceled

Uncertain Resolves by End of 2030

Discussed by: Grid analysts cited by Bloomberg and Kentucky Lantern

Financing, AI demand or cleanup obligations shift, and the coalition scales the plan back or shelves it. Multi-year data center megaprojects often change size between announcement and steel. A pullback would be visible in an official statement or a quiet removal from company pipelines.

Congress bans large AI data centers on federal land

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Rep. Rashida Tlaib, sponsor of the No AI Data Centers on Federal Lands Act; Lexington Herald-Leader

The bill would prohibit large AI data centers and related infrastructure on federally owned land and require existing qualifying facilities to be removed. Paducah sits on federal property, so passage would put the campus in scope. The bill was introduced in July 2026 and has not been enacted.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2015-2020

Hanford site reuse push (2015-2020)

The Department of Energy sought private reuse of parts of its Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington, another Cold War weapons site under long-term cleanup. Some parcels drew solar and industrial interest while remediation continued nearby.

Then

A few parcels saw new use, but active cleanup limited how much land could be redeveloped quickly.

Now

It showed that contaminated federal sites can be partly repurposed, though environmental work sets the pace.

Why this matters now

Paducah is also an active cleanup site. Hanford shows both the appeal and the friction of building on legacy nuclear land.

March 2024

Amazon-Talen nuclear-powered data center deal (2024)

Amazon agreed to buy a data center campus next to Talen Energy's Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, drawing power directly from the reactor rather than the open grid. Regulators later scrutinized the arrangement.

Then

The deal advanced the idea of pairing big computing loads with dedicated on-site power.

Now

It sparked a national debate over whether such deals help or shift costs onto other grid customers.

Why this matters now

Paducah uses the same co-location logic but adds new-build gas and batteries, aiming to answer the cost-shifting worry directly.

2017-2021

Foxconn Wisconsin plant (2017-2021)

Foxconn promised a $10 billion factory and 13,000 jobs in Wisconsin with heavy public backing. The project was repeatedly downsized and delivered a fraction of what was pledged.

Then

Early groundbreaking and political fanfare gave way to shrinking targets.

Now

It became a cautionary tale about the gap between megaproject announcements and what gets built.

Why this matters now

The $100 billion Paducah figure is an announcement, not a finished campus. Foxconn is the reason to watch scope and jobs, not just headlines.