Business · Energy & Commodities · 2 hrs ago
Brookfield and NextEra plan $100 billion Kentucky AI energy hub
Brookfield and NextEra plan a $100 billion energy and AI campus at a former uranium enrichment site in western Kentucky.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced the project, called the Paducah American Energy Hub.
Brookfield is set to build a 1.8-gigawatt data center campus for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, while NextEra plans power generation and battery storage.
The phased project is targeted for completion by 2032 and is expected to create about 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.
Dedicated power and battery storage are intended to serve the campus and allow excess energy to flow back to the regional grid, the project’s leaders say.
They also plan a closed-loop cooling system that recirculates water, unlike the former plant, which was designed to draw up to 30 million gallons a day from the Ohio River.
The project comes as investors grow cautious about costly AI infrastructure, with financing challenges and a paused UK data center plan cited in the story.
The next stated milestone is the phased buildout toward 2032; no further project steps are given.
The U.S. Department of Energy announced a $100 billion private investment to develop the Paducah American Energy Hub in Western Kentucky.
Brookfield Asset Management will build a 1.8-gigawatt artificial intelligence and high-performance computing data center campus.
NextEra Energy will develop 2 gigawatts of natural gas-fired generation and 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage.
The phased buildout is targeted for 2032 and is expected to create about 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent operations jobs.
The project is planned for a former uranium enrichment site and will use dedicated power supplies and a closed-loop cooling system.
- Who
- Brookfield Asset Management will build the data center campus, and NextEra Energy will develop the power infrastructure.
- What
- The U.S. Department of Energy announced a $100 billion private investment for the Paducah American Energy Hub.
- When
- The project was announced on October 15, 2026. The phased buildout is targeted for 2032.
- Where
- A former uranium enrichment site in Western Kentucky.
- Why
- To develop an artificial intelligence and high-performance computing campus powered by new energy infrastructure.
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This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Total investment
- $100 billion
- Data center campus
- 1.8 gigawatts
- Natural gas-fired generation
- 2 gigawatts
- Battery energy storage
- 2.6 gigawatts
- Targeted buildout
- 2032
- Expected jobs
- Roughly 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent operations jobs
What people are saying
landmark $100-billion private investment