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DOE Announces $100 B Paducah AI Data Center, 8,000 Jobs

7/30/2026

Summary

DOE Announces AI

The U.S. Department of Energy and Attorney General Russell Coleman announced a $100 billion AI data center in Paducah.
Brookfield Corp. was chosen in November 2025 to develop and operate the Paducah data center.
NextEra Energy Inc. will build and own the infrastructure, delivering up to 4.6 GW for the facility.
Construction should finish in 2031, creating 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent positions.

Summary

NextEra Builds Power

NextEra will build up to 2 GW of natural-gas power and 2.6 GW of battery storage to meet the campus’s 1.8 GW demand.
The White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, covering NextEra, Big Rivers Electric Corporation and Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, aims to keep data-center costs from being passed to residential customers.
The former uranium enrichment site, built in the 1950s, already has transmission, water and fiber infrastructure that could accelerate the data-center build-out.

History

Historical Context

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Barack Obama on February 17 2009, provided about $787 billion overall, including $2 billion for the Department of Energy to modernize facilities and add construction jobs. Using that stimulus foundation, DOE Secretary Steven Chu and NextEra Energy unveiled a $100 billion AI data center at the former Paducah uranium-enrichment site, slated for 2031 and delivering 4.6 GW of power.

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DOE Announces AI

The U.S. Department of Energy and Attorney General Russell Coleman announced a $100 billion AI data center in Paducah.
Brookfield Corp. was chosen in November 2025 to develop and operate the Paducah data center.
NextEra Energy Inc. will build and own the infrastructure, delivering up to 4.6 GW for the facility.
Construction should finish in 2031, creating 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent positions.

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