The Department of Energy has issued another solicitation for a data center and accompanying power generation, with this project to be developed at the Paducah Site in Kentucky.
The DOE’s Office of Environmental Management announced the request for offer (RFO) in a Nov. 4 press release. The online solicitation notice is available here.
Responses to the solicitation are due by Jan. 30, DOE said in the release.
The former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site in McCracken County, Ky., is one of four DOE nuclear complex properties identified as suitable homes for new data centers for artificial intelligence (AI) and electric power. The others are the Idaho National Laboratory, the Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
DOE held its industry day last month on the Oak Ridge solicitation.
The DOE Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office has tentatively identified 785 acres, less than a quarter of the entire Paducah Site, as potentially suited for leasing for such a project. “The parcel identified is available for nuclear energy projects as well as other energy generation technologies deployment,” according to solicitation material.
Much of the parcel is currently licensed to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources for recreational purposes, DOE said. There are three power lines next to the property that DOE expects could support over 500 megawatts of electricity.
The AI infrastructure push at DOE nuclear properties follow President Donald Trump’s May executive orders to increase nuclear generation. DOE expects many on-site AI data centers will be powered by small modular reactors or other advanced nuclear units.
“DOE will consider proposals that integrate innovative energy generation and storage technologies with the AI infrastructure, particularly nuclear technologies including small modular reactors (SMRs) or microreactors, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), and cold underground thermal energy storage,” the department said in materials accompanying the online procurement notice.
DOE’s Portsmouth-Paducah Project Office will soon schedule an online industry day about the Paducah solicitation, DOE said. For information, potential attendees should e-mail Marcia Fultz at marcia.fultz@pppo.gov.
DOE is looking for vendors to build, operate, and decommission the projects. Winners must also secure interconnections to the power grid. In judging the proposals, DOE will weigh factors such as technology readiness, finances, and ability to pass regulatory standards.
“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, America is ushering in a golden era of American energy dominance, ensuring the United States remains a global leader in AI and innovation,” said DOE Assistant Secretary for the Office of Environmental Management Tim Walsh in the press release. “Paducah has the resources and vision to support the next generation of AI infrastructure, creating new opportunities for prosperity while advancing national security for future generations.”