Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in partnership with the Department of Commerce, has announced a public-private collaboration with SoftBank Group and its affiliate SB Energy to develop 10 gigawatts (GW) of new power generation in Southern Ohio, primarily natural gas, to support a 10 GW data center campus on federally leased land at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County.
SB Energy is committed to providing excess generation and transmission capacity to the electric grid, increasing supply and reducing energy costs for American consumers. Together with AEP Ohio, SB Energy will invest $4.2 billion in new electrical transmission infrastructure, assuming the costs to avoid burdening Ohio residents through higher electricity bills.
The Department of Energy is facilitating the redevelopment of the Portsmouth site, historically used for uranium enrichment, transforming it into a large-scale technology campus data center that could support research in fields such as fusion, quantum computing, and strengthen U.S. national defense and AI leadership.
SB Energy has also committed to funding accelerated cleanup and remediation at the site. Additionally, a $40 million Community Benefits Agreement will support local Ohio communities near the project location.
Parts of the agreement were previously included in the U.S.-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement, which incorporates $33.3 billion in Japanese funding to support 9.2 GW of the proposed natural gas generation capacity under this initiative.