Brookfield and NextEra Energy are planning a $100 billion data center campus at a former uranium enrichment site in Paducah, Kentucky, as surging demand from artificial intelligence companies drives investment in computing infrastructure and electricity generation.
The project is being developed by a coalition that includes Brookfield, NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corp., Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative and Paducah Power System, according to the companies.
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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. The full project is expected to be operational by 2032.
NextEra, the largest U.S. utility, plans to provide 2 gigawatts of natural gas-fired power and 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage capacity to support the development. Brookfield will own and manage the data center operations, according to the companies.
The campus will be located at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Paducah Site, which was built in the 1950s to produce enriched uranium. The facility initially supported the U.S. nuclear weapons program before later producing enriched uranium for nuclear reactors. It was shut down in 2013.
The site already has infrastructure including electricity transmission capacity, water access and fiber connectivity. The companies said those existing resources could help accelerate the development of the data center campus.
The project comes as growing electricity demand from AI data centers puts additional pressure on the U.S. power grid. Technology companies are rapidly expanding their AI infrastructure, requiring large amounts of electricity to operate data centers and the computing systems that train and run AI models.
NextEra said the development aligns with the Trump administration’s “Ratepayer Protection Pledge,” which seeks to ensure that companies building and operating data centers pay rates that prevent the costs associated with their electricity demand from being passed on to average households.
Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt said the Paducah site would serve as the starting point for the company’s plans to invest $100 billion in AI infrastructure, according to a statement reported by Reuters.
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The project is still subject to negotiations and the execution of definitive agreements. The companies have not indicated that all elements of the proposed development have been finalized.
The planned campus highlights the growing connection between AI development and energy infrastructure in the United States. As companies build increasingly powerful AI systems, access to reliable electricity and data center capacity has become a key consideration for the technology industry.
For Kentucky, the development would bring a major investment to a site with a long history tied to the country’s nuclear and energy infrastructure. The project is expected to be completed in stages, with the full campus targeted for operation by 2032.