Economy

NextEra Energy to Build 15 Gigawatts of Power for Data Centers, Announces Partnerships

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Dec 9, 2025

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NextEra Energy announced plans on Monday to build 15 gigawatts of new power generation for data center hubs across the U.S. by 2035. The company, the largest developer of renewable energy in the country, is launching new partnerships to meet the increasing power demands from large technology companies.

As part of the strategy, NextEra is collaborating with Alphabet’s Google unit to develop three gigawatt-scale data center campuses in the U.S., with plans for future expansion. The company also announced a partnership with Exxon Mobil to develop a large data center site in the Southeast. According to the announcement, this project will be powered by a 1.2-gigawatt natural gas plant combined with Exxon's carbon capture technology. The companies have reportedly secured 2,500 acres for the site and intend to begin marketing it to a large-scale data center operator in early 2026.

NextEra CEO John Ketchum stated that the 15-gigawatt target was "fairly conservative," adding that there is potential to build as much as 30 gigawatts by 2035. According to Ketchum, the data center hubs will be powered by all forms of energy. He said many projects will begin with "bridge power," such as renewables and storage, with natural gas generation to follow.

The plans align with NextEra's existing goal to bring four to eight gigawatts of new gas generation online by 2032. The company is currently developing a pipeline of 20 gigawatts of gas generation. The CEO also acknowledged that significant power demand from AI data centers is creating affordability concerns, suggesting that large tech companies should pay for their own power infrastructure when building new facilities.

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• The strategy includes a significant expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. The plan for new data center power aligns with NextEra's existing goal to bring four to eight gigawatts of new natural gas generation online by 2032, and the company is developing a 20-gigawatt pipeline of gas generation. The announced partnership with Exxon Mobil specifically involves a new 1.2-gigawatt natural gas plant to power a large data center site.

• Natural gas is positioned as a core component, not just a temporary solution. While initial power for the hubs may come from renewables and storage, the company's CEO stated that natural gas generation is planned to "follow" this "bridge power." This framing suggests that gas is an integral and subsequent phase of the energy plan for these facilities, rather than a short-term measure.

• The project raises potential energy affordability issues. The CEO of NextEra acknowledged that the significant power demand driven by AI data centers is creating "affordability concerns." He suggested that large tech companies should be responsible for paying for their own power infrastructure when constructing new facilities, implying a risk of increased costs otherwise.

How it may affect me

As a U.S. reader:

• The project addresses rising power demand from AI, which the company CEO notes is creating "affordability concerns" that could potentially affect consumer energy costs.

• New power plants, including natural gas and renewable sources, will be built across the U.S. to support data center hubs, affecting local land use.

• This plan will expand both natural gas and renewable energy generation to power new data centers, influencing the nation’s future energy production portfolio.

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