Beshear Not Briefed on $100B Paducah AI Data Center Plan

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear says he hasn’t been briefed on a $100 billion private investment to build an AI data center and energy campus at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, announced by Brookfield Asset Management and NextEra Energy Resources. The project would include a 1.8-gigawatt data center and a 2-gigawatt energy campus, creating about 8,000 temporary jobs and 600 permanent positions, with power supplied by NextEra and support from local utilities. Beshear did not attend the announcement, and his office has asked questions about power, environmental impact, job creation, and tax contributions. The rollout marks Western Kentucky’s emergence as a center for AI infrastructure, though details and invited officials’ responses remain unclear.