Brookfield and NextEra to Build $100bn AI Data Center Campus on Former Nuclear Weapons Site in Kentucky

Brookfield and NextEra Partner on Historic AI Infrastructure Project

Brookfield Asset Management and NextEra Energy unveiled plans to develop a $100 billion AI data center campus at the US Department of Energy's Paducah site in western Kentucky, marking one of the largest single commitments in America's AI infrastructure buildout1

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. The privately funded project will transform the former nuclear weapons site—a uranium enrichment facility that operated from 1952 until 2013—into a cutting-edge computing campus designed to support AI superiority over China4

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. NextEra Energy will build and own 2 gigawatts of natural gas power plants paired with 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage capacity, enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes, while Brookfield will own and operate the 1.8 gigawatt data center campus1

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Strategic Location Addresses Surging Electricity Demands

The selection of Paducah Kentucky reflects the binding constraints facing AI development—no longer chips, but power and land to run them2

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. Kentucky has moved aggressively to court data centers, with utilities reporting dozens of projects under discussion and lawmakers passing measures, including a nuclear-energy bill this spring, to facilitate development2

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. The state offers cheap, plentiful power and available land as hyperscalers exhaust easy sites near existing grids2

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. The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site spans more than 3,500 acres and already features transmission capacity, water infrastructure, fiber connectivity, and road access from its previous operations, accelerating the development timeline3

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. Big Rivers Electric Power Corporation will provide wholesale electric service, while Jackson Purchase Energy Cooperative will deliver retail service, with the campus connected to the main electric grid1

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Ratepayer Protection Pledge Addresses Cost Concerns

The project fulfills President Donald Trump's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, ensuring technology companies fully fund energy and infrastructure costs rather than passing them to residential or small-business electricity customers1

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. NextEra CEO John Ketchum emphasized that the AI data center "will bring its own power, pay for its own power infrastructure and create good-paying jobs for local workers"3

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. The power service arrangement requires additional oversight and approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission, with excess electricity delivered to the regional grid3

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. This structure reflects concerns about data centers pushing up power bills for households and factories in parts of the country as demand competes with everyone else on the electric grid2

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Natural Gas Strategy Signals Pragmatic Shift

NextEra's fuel mix tells a revealing story about AI's power requirements. Once known mainly for wind and solar, the company now plans openly around natural gas power plants and nuclear as well, a pragmatic turn driven by data centers needing power around the clock rather than only when renewable sources are available2

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. The planned facility would become the largest gas-fired power plant in Kentucky4

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. However, environmental advocates have raised questions about greenhouse gas emissions from such a large natural gas facility and its implications for climate change4

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. A Brookfield spokesperson estimated that 30% of the $100 billion would fund construction of the data center and power components, with the remainder spent on equipment including servers, routers and semiconductor chips4

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Federal Strategy to Repurpose Former Nuclear Sites

The US Department of Energy is actively transforming Cold War-era uranium enrichment facilities into engines of innovation to ensure AI superiority in geopolitical competition with China4

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. Energy Secretary Chris Wright called the project "a crucial roadmap for future projects in the United States" and emphasized the federal government is leveraging assets like federal lands to add power generation, create jobs and win the AI race1

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. The Department of Energy selected Brookfield following a Request for Offers issued in November 2025 and separately selected NextEra Energy to build dedicated generation resources3

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. Similar projects are underway at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Ohio and South Carolina's Savannah River Site4

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Timeline and Economic Impact

Some elements of the AI infrastructure project are expected to become operational in 2028, with completion forecast by early 20321

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. The project is expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 full-time operations jobs3

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. Brookfield CEO Bruce Flatt stated the Paducah site would be the seed of the company's plan to invest $100 billion in AI infrastructure, with discussions already underway with hyperscalers to become anchor tenants1

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. The project development occurs as communities around the US protest data center construction, with high-profile projects like Blackstone's QTS recently withdrawing from a 22 million square feet facility in Prince William County, Virginia after lawsuits and opposition1

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Environmental and Regulatory Challenges Ahead

Cleanup continues at the roughly 3,550-acre Paducah site, with the Department of Energy projecting completion in 2065 at a cost of about $17 billion, including demolishing buildings, disassembling uranium converters, removing refrigerant and treating a large plume of groundwater contamination4

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. A newly formed group called Protect McCracken County has raised questions about work being carried out beside a river that 5 million people downstream drink from without an independent impact study4

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. Byron Gary, senior attorney for Kentucky Resources Council, emphasized that any plans to develop the contaminated site or withdraw water from the water table underneath must be carefully executed, and that his organization will ensure regular ratepayers are not forced to subsidize power plants and transmission upgrades4

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. The project remains subject to negotiation and execution of definitive documentation3

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