By TOM LATEK, Kentucky Today

PADUCAH, Ky. (KT) - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Wednesday a landmark partnership to redevelop portions of DOE's Paducah Site into an artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus accompanied by new affordable energy infrastructure.

The more than $100 billion privately funded investment, one of the largest in Kentucky's history, includes Brookfield, NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corporation, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, and Paducah Power System; and is expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs.

Consistent with President Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, officials say the project's generation and storage capacity would exceed the energy needs of the data center campus, allowing excess electricity to be delivered to the regional grid, helping reduce energy costs for American families and businesses.

At or near the Paducah campus, NextEra Energy plans to develop 2 gigawatts (GW) of new grid-connected natural gas-fired generation, upgrade existing transmission infrastructure, and deploy up to 2.6 GW of battery energy storage to support a new 1.8 GW artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) innovation campus.

"Thanks to President Trump, the U.S. government is leveraging its assets like our federal lands to add power generation, create jobs, and ensure the United States wins the AI race," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. "The President's Ratepayer Protection Pledge ensures America can build the energy infrastructure needed to power the AI revolution while lowering electricity costs for American families and businesses. By transforming former DOE sites into engines of innovation and economic growth, we can revitalize communities with increased tax revenue and thousands of jobs, while also strengthening America's energy security."

The project advances DOE's American Energy Hubs initiative, which is transforming former DOE sites into engines of affordable energy production, advanced manufacturing, technological innovation, and economic growth. Building on the partnership model announced at the Portsmouth Site, the Paducah partnership demonstrates how federal, state, local, and private-sector collaboration can accelerate investment while delivering lasting benefits to surrounding communities.

With existing transmission capacity, water infrastructure, fiber connectivity, and available land, the Paducah Site is uniquely positioned to support large-scale AI infrastructure and attract major private investment while continuing environmental cleanup and advancing the site's long-term redevelopment.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2031.