A trio of energy projects out of the U.S.-Japan trade deal could lead to the construction of the largest-ever U.S. gas plant and shape the electricity mix in five states.
Japan is putting up more than $100 billion to back the projects, as part of the country’s commitment to invest $550 billion in the U.S. over the next two years. The energy deals, announced last week, reflect the Trump administration’s push to boost fossil fuels and nuclear power while competing with China to quickly build out artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The gas plant is part of a deal detailed Friday between Japanese tech giant SoftBank and utility AEP Ohio. The plant is slated to power a 10-gigawatt data center at the Department of Energy’s former uranium enrichment complex in Portsmouth, Ohio.
Also on Friday, energy giant NextEra said it would construct $33 billion in new gas generation in Texas and Pennsylvania, with projects jointly owned by Japan and the United States. And on Thursday, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that GE Vernova and Hitachi would spend up to $40 billion on small nuclear reactors in Tennessee and Alabama.
