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Massive Data Center Project to Transform Ohio’s Former Uranium Plant
The U.S. Department of Energy announced Friday a landmark public-private partnership to develop a major data center at the site of a decommissioned uranium enrichment plant in southern Ohio, part of a broader strategy to boost artificial intelligence technology development in the United States.
The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County—now rebranded as the “PORTS Technology Campus”—will house a 10-gigawatt data center supported by up to 10 gigawatts of new power generation, including 9.2 gigawatts from natural gas.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Piketon to unveil the project, joined by officials from SoftBank Group, a Japanese investment management conglomerate, and its affiliate SB Energy.
“This project will add power generation, create jobs, and ensure the United States wins the AI race,” Wright said in a statement. Lutnick described it as part of a larger initiative to “reindustrialize the country” through major energy and infrastructure investments.
The project is part of the U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement announced by President Donald Trump last year, with $33.3 billion in Japanese funding tied to the natural gas generation component. The Portsmouth site was among 16 federal locations identified last year as potential data center development sites.
SoftBank, through SB Energy, is partnering with AEP Ohio to construct the power generation and transmission infrastructure, including $4.2 billion in grid upgrades and new transmission lines. The companies have promised these improvements will not increase customer rates.
Earlier this month, President Trump hosted tech executives at the White House, urging them to develop their own power generation alongside electricity-intensive data centers. The Ohio project aligns with this vision, incorporating both on-site and grid-connected power generation.
Construction is expected to begin this year, creating thousands of jobs while supporting research in fusion energy, quantum computing, and national security applications. Officials note that excess power generated at the site will be fed back into the regional grid, potentially reducing electricity costs for area residents.
The project represents a significant expansion of Ohio’s already substantial data center presence. The state currently ranks fifth nationally with approximately 200 data center sites, including facilities operated by tech giants Google, Amazon Web Services, and Meta.
SoftBank is working with OpenAI and Oracle on Stargate, an ambitious AI infrastructure initiative aimed at expanding U.S. data center capacity with potential investments reaching $500 billion. The companies previously announced plans for a Midwest site as part of this partnership.
However, the announcement comes amid growing opposition to large-scale data centers. Days earlier, rural Ohio residents filed a petition to place a constitutional ban on mega data centers on the statewide ballot, reflecting broader concerns about the environmental impact, resource consumption, and societal implications of rapidly expanding AI infrastructure.
Critics have pointed to the immense power and water requirements of these facilities, potential strain on local infrastructure, and questions about long-term economic benefits to host communities as reasons for caution despite promised job creation and economic development.
The Portsmouth facility’s transformation marks a significant shift for a site once dedicated to uranium enrichment, now positioned at the forefront of America’s technological infrastructure development in the competitive global AI landscape.
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10 Comments
Repurposing a former uranium site into a major data center and power generation facility is an intriguing move. I wonder if there are any lingering environmental or safety concerns that need to be addressed as part of this transition.
That’s a good point. Remediation and safeguards will be critical, given the site’s prior nuclear activities. The project team will need to carefully manage those aspects.
Interesting repurposing of the former Ohio uranium site. A massive data center with 10 GW of power generation capacity, including 9.2 GW from natural gas – that’s quite a scale-up. I wonder how this will impact the local economy and energy landscape.
Yes, it’s a major investment that could really transform the region. Coupling data infrastructure with gas-fired power plants is a bold move.
The sheer scale of this data center and power plant project is impressive – 10 GW is a massive amount of electricity generation. I’m curious to learn more about the economic and environmental impacts, both positive and negative.
Agreed, the scale is quite remarkable. With that much new power generation, there will likely be significant effects on the local and regional energy landscape that will be worth monitoring.
This seems like a strategic move to boost AI development in the US and reindustrialize the country through energy and infrastructure projects. Converting a former uranium site into a large-scale data center is a creative approach.
You’re right, it aligns with broader policy goals around technology leadership and revitalizing industrial heartland communities. It will be interesting to see how this project unfolds.
This seems like an ambitious effort to revitalize an economically depressed region through large-scale energy and tech infrastructure investments. I’m curious to see how the local community responds and if it leads to new economic opportunities.
Absolutely, the community impact will be an important factor. Transforming a former uranium plant site into a data and energy hub could dramatically reshape the local economy and job market.