DOE, NNSA open process to select energy suppliers for AI data centers

The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management and Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration issued requests for proposals last month, seeking plans from companies to build AI data centers at the Oak Ridge Reservation, the Savannah River Site, and Idaho National Laboratory.

Oak Ridge, Savannah River, and INL are three of the four sites selected by the DOE for AI infrastructure projects on federal land. The DOE has yet to release the RFP for the fourth site at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant.

The three sites were selected because they could both host data centers and power generation to enhance grid reliability, strengthen national security, and cut energy costs.

Federal land selection:

• The DOE said that two sites are being considered at Oak Ridge-one at the East Tennessee Technology Park and the other on land next to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Proposals are due December 1.
• The NNSA said that it has identified 10 tracts of land totaling 3,103 acres at the Savannah River Site. Proposals are due December 5.
• The DOE said it has identified approximately 44,000 acres of land for AI infrastructure at INL. Initial proposals are due November. 7.

According to the DOE and the NNSA, applicants will be charged with building, operating, and decommissioning each AI infrastructure project and will be responsible for securing utility interconnection agreements. The proposals will be evaluated for technological readiness, financial viability, and plans to complete regulatory and permitting requirements.

Follow-up from July AI EO: These projects have been spurred on by the Trump administration's AI-related executive order, "Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure." This EO, released in July, aims to reduce regulatory barriers to build data centers on federal lands.

The document defines data center projects as facilities that require greater than 100 MW of new load dedicated to AI and marked nuclear as one of the energy technologies that will be used to support data centers. It also directs the secretary of commerce to launch an initiative to provide financial support to new projects, the Environmental Protection Agency to streamline permitting.