"In the latest example, the Energy Department will convert a shuttered Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility into a data center campus and gas plants."
"The Trump administration is repurposing large chunks of federal land to host enormous data centers and the power plants needed to run them as officials seek to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence and overcome growing local opposition to the facilities.
The Energy Department announced on Wednesday that it would redevelop parts of a retired Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility in Paducah, Ky., to host a large new A.I. data center campus. The site is owned by the federal government and has been undergoing environmental cleanup for years.
The $100 billion project would include construction of 2 gigawatts of natural gas power connected to the local grid and 2.6 gigawatts of battery storage capacity. The Energy Department said the project would be privately funded through a partnership with NextEra Energy, one of the nation’s largest power companies; the investment firm Brookfield; and several local utilities. (One gigawatt of gas can power roughly 750,000 homes.)
“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 A.I. race,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement."
