Brookfield to Develop Gigawatt-Scale Data Center Campus at DOE’s Kentucky Nuclear Enrichment Site

A coalition led by investment giant Brookfield has announced plans to build a massive data center campus at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) former nuclear enrichment site in Paducah, Kentucky. The project, which could ultimately support up to 1.8GW of utility capacity and more than 1.2GW of compute capacity by 2032, represents one of the largest infrastructure developments in the state’s history.

The partnership includes NextEra Energy, Big Rivers Electric Power Corporation, Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative, and Paducah Power System. With $100 billion in planned investment, the campus is expected to become the largest economic development project ever in Kentucky. Developers will finance the energy and transmission infrastructure themselves, shielding local ratepayers from costs and aligning with the White House’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge.

NextEra Energy will phase in dedicated generation resources as the campus scales, including up to 2GW of natural gas capacity and 2.6GW of battery energy storage. The site, which previously housed the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), was constructed in 1952 to produce enriched uranium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program. Enrichment operations ceased in 2013, and ongoing cleanup continues. Last year, uranium enrichment company General Matter signed a 100-acre lease with the DOE to restart enrichment operations on part of the site.

Brookfield’s CEO Bruce Flatt emphasized the strategic importance of the project: “Demand for critical infrastructure that accelerates innovation in the US and supports the economy will need to be met with capital, development capabilities, and additional power generation that benefits local communities. The Department of Energy Paducah Site will be the seed of our plan to invest $100 billion in AI infrastructure.”

The DOE had previously issued a notice offering federal land for data center development. Brookfield was awarded the lease to develop and operate the campus, while NextEra was selected to provide power generation. The site reportedly already possesses transmission capacity, fiber connectivity, and water infrastructure.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright hailed the project as a blueprint for future developments: “This new campus helps secure our nation’s position as a global leader in innovation. It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of this project. The planning and investment by NextEra Energy and Brookfield provides a crucial roadmap for future projects in the United States by revealing the ability to build world-leading infrastructure without passing costs on to surrounding communities.”

The announcement follows a similar move by SoftBank, which is developing a 10GW data center and energy campus at the DOE’s Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio. Together, these projects signal a growing trend of repurposing federal industrial sites for large-scale digital infrastructure.