Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials HomeInnovationNextEra, Brookfield to build US$100-billion Kentucky data campusThe project comes as Trump is determined to address surging power demand from data centresAuthor of the article:Last updated 1 hour ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Brookfield Place signage outside of the global investment firm of Brookfield Corporation's offices in Toronto’s Financial District on July 29, 2025. Photo by Peter J. Thompson/National PostNextEra Energy Inc., the largest U.S. power utility, is teaming up with Brookfield on a more than US$100 billion transformation of a shuttered Cold War uranium-enrichment facility in Kentucky into a data centre campus with a generating plant.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe privately funded effort will include construction of 2 gigawatts of natural gas-fired power at or near the site in Paducah in western Kentucky, and as much as 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage capacity, the Energy Department is announcing Wednesday. For context, a single gigawatt of capacity is roughly the output of a traditional nuclear power plant and can power about 750,000 homes at any given moment.The project comes as the Trump administration is determined to address surging power demand from data centres that are provoking considerable political opposition. Failure to add new electric capacity would threaten a key priority for Trump — winning the AI race against China — and worsen the spike in electricity prices that could represent a political liability come the November midterm elections.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again“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,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement. The more than US$100 billion privately funded investment, one of the largest in Kentucky’s history, is expected to create 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent positions, the department said.Brookfield will develop and operate the 1.8 GW data center campus, which will occupy portions of the sprawling 3,556-acre Energy Department site once used to produce weapons-grade uranium and fuel for nuclear reactors. Operations using the now obsolete enrichment technology known as gaseous diffusion stopped in 2013 and the site is now subject to cleanup efforts. Construction is expected to be completed in 2031, the Energy Department said.The project, which also includes partnerships with local electric cooperatives, comes as soaring demand for artificial-intelligence tools has touched off a worldwide expansion of data centers. The buildout has touched off concerns across the U.S. about increasing costs for water and electricity. The Trump administration has been trying to address those concerns ahead of the midterms by, among other things, exacting pledges from technology companies that they’ll pick up the costs.SoftBank Group Corp. said earlier this year that a data centre campus it was developing on another former Energy Department enrichment site in Ohio could be as large as US$500 billion. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.