# Trump announces $100B plan to transform former nuclear site into AI data center > Source: > Published: 2026-07-30 00:59:11+00:00 # Trump announces $100B plan to transform former nuclear site into AI data center - The Trump administration is pushing to accelerate [AI](/topic/ai)data center construction, including plans to redevelop former nuclear enrichment sites like the Department of Energy’s Paducah Site in[Kentucky](/topic/kentucky). - The Kentucky project, backed by over $100 billion in private investment, is projected to create 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs and will include a new two-gigawatt natural gas power plant. - The administration aims to leverage federal assets and preempt state AI regulations, arguing these facilities will create jobs and help the U.S. win the AI race against competitors like China. - Environmentalists and local leaders have raised concerns about these projects, citing a lack of community input, potential environmental impacts and the use of fossil fuels for power generation. - Critics argue that the administration's push for fossil fuel-powered data centers exacerbates the mismatch between high AI energy demand and the availability of renewable energy, hindering climate crisis efforts.