DOE Plans $100 Billion AI Data Center Campus in Paducah

Jul 30, 2026
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a more than $100 billion private investment to build an AI data center campus at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky, with Brookfield developing the campus and NextEra Energy building power infrastructure.
DOE Plans $100 Billion AI Data Center Campus in Paducah
Image: U.S. Department of Energy

U.S. Department of Energy has announced plans for a more than $100 billion private investment to turn part of the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky into an AI data center campus, according to Kentucky.com.

The project would create about 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs. The data center campus will be built on 600 acres at the site, which will be called the Paducah American Energy Hub.

Brookfield was selected to develop and operate the data center campus after a bid process. NextEra Energy will build and own the dedicated power infrastructure, including a natural gas fired power plant and battery storage.

The power system is planned to provide 4.6 gigawatts of electricity. The data center campus is expected to use 1.8 gigawatts, with additional electricity available for the regional grid.

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