DOE Selects Brookfield to Build $100B AI Data Center at Former Kentucky Uranium Site
A former Cold War uranium plant in Kentucky will become a $100 billion AI data center campus powered by a new natural gas plant.
A Cold War-era uranium enrichment site in Paducah, Kentucky is set to become one of the largest AI data center complexes in the country, with a projected investment of $100 billion. The U.S. Department of Energy selected investment firm Brookfield Asset Management to develop and operate the project at the government-owned Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, which spent decades producing enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and power plants. The data center campus will have its own dedicated power infrastructure: Florida-based NextEra Energy will build and own a new natural gas plant paired with battery storage to supply electricity to the complex. The DOE announced a parallel project at its Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio, signaling a broader federal strategy to repurpose former nuclear industrial sites for the AI era. Both the Paducah and Portsmouth plants are currently undergoing extensive environmental cleanup stemming from their Cold War operations. Redeveloping them as commercial technology campuses represents a significant shift in how the federal government is managing these legacy sites.
Why it matters
The conversion of former federal nuclear sites into AI infrastructure represents a novel use of government-owned land at a time when demand for large-scale data center capacity is surging. The scale of investment — $100 billion — and the inclusion of dedicated new gas generation could set a precedent for how future AI campuses are powered and sited.
What's next
Details on construction timelines and the status of the Ohio Portsmouth project have not yet been reported.
Key facts
- Brookfield Asset Management was selected by the DOE to develop and operate the Paducah data center project
- The data center complex carries a projected investment of $100 billion
- Florida-based NextEra Energy will build and own the accompanying natural gas and battery storage power plant
- The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky is a government-owned former uranium enrichment facility still undergoing cleanup
- The DOE announced a similar conversion project at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio
Bias & framing notes
Both sources share nearly identical opening language, suggesting reliance on the same DOE announcement or press release. The AP article provided minimal additional detail beyond what the AJC reported. Neither source included criticism, environmental concerns, or community reaction, meaning coverage is heavily weighted toward the DOE's framing of the project as a straightforward opportunity.
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