NextEra Energy, one of the world’s largest power companies, announced deals Monday with Google, Meta, Exxon Mobil and other companies to build infrastructure for the artificial intelligence boom, a move that could sway the electricity mix around the country.
In all, NextEra said it is targeting 15 gigawatts of new generation by 2035 to power data center hubs, a goal that CEO John Ketchum could be doubled. The amount is one of the largest planned AI build-outs to date, reflecting the growing energy needs of the technology.
“We’re in the golden age of power demand,” Ketchum said during an investors day in New York. The target is “fairly conservative,” he said, noting the company already has identified 20 potential data center hubs, a number that could reach 40 by the end of next year.
From “what we’re seeing today, we’ll be disappointed if we don’t do more,” he said.
If all of NextEra’s projects are built, they would give a boost to gas in many locations. In comparison, the 15-gigawatt goal is 50 percent more capacity than what was announced by the “Stargate” venture backed by the Trump administration, OpenAI and Oracle at the White House earlier this year.
The deal with Google envisions “multiple GW-scale data center campuses across the United States,” three of which are under development. The companies did not release the location or financial details of those hubs.
NextEra, which is the nation’s largest renewable developer, and Google Cloud added they plan to release an AI product by mid-2026 that aims to boost grid reliability by more accurately predicting equipment challenges and supply chain bottlenecks.
With Exxon, NextEra is eyeing a 1.2-gigawatt gas plant in the Southeast with carbon capture. The companies plan to market the plan to a yet-to-be-determined hyperscaler — a term for technology companies hosting data center hubs — that would use the power.
They said they have secured 2,500 acres of land for the carbon capture project but did not release financial terms. The plant would be located near Exxon’s existing carbon dioxide pipeline network. A gigawatt provides enough capacity to power a medium-sized city of 750,000 homes.
In another boost for fossil fuels, NextEra and Basin Electric Power Cooperative signed a memorandum of understanding to explore development of a massive 1,450-megawatt gas plant in North Dakota for another multigigawatt data center campus. The companies submitted an application to the Southwest Power Pool — the grid operator for much of the central U.S. — to assess transmission and interconnection requirements for the project, which is known as the River Run Energy Center.
The plan won praise from Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Leslie Beyer, who said it “supports innovation, strengthens America’s energy security and helps keep electricity affordable for consumers.”
Shon Hiatt, an associate professor of business administration at the University of Southern California and a data center expert, said it is not surprising that gas is getting a boost as AI deals get larger and technology companies look for around-the-clock power. While smaller wind and solar projects can be built quickly, gigawatt-scale renewable farms could take years to come online, he said.
“Overall, we see AI-driven demand to boost fossil fuel usage while also providing capital for new technologies such as next-generation geothermal and nuclear,” he said.
NextEra said it is aiming to build 4 to 8 gigawatts of new gas generation by 2032.
NextEra also is partnering with Comstock Resources to build up to 8 gigawatts of gas and storage generation in central Texas. It said it is in negotiations with a “major hyperscaler” for that power.
In addition, the company plans to acquire Symmetry Energy Solutions, one of the leading suppliers of U.S. gas. NextEra said is targeting closure of that deal in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
Ketchum told investors that the AI industry is shifting toward “BYOG,” or build-your-own-generation, as affordability of energy becomes a bigger issue.
With BYOG, large technology companies like Google can pay for their own power generation at data center sites, he said. That could come through various forms, including power purchase agreements, he said.
Ketchum said a chief example of the BYOG trend is an October deal where Google agreed to purchase power from Iowa’s only nuclear reactor after it restarts.
“Google is paying for the plant so Iowa customers don’t have to,” said Ketchum.
Gas-fired generation “will play a large role” with BYOG, according to the company’s investor presentation.
At the same time, company spokesperson Neil Nissan said in an email that NextEra is following an “all-of-the-above” strategy of building renewables, gas, nuclear and other resources over the next decade. The company’s current generation mix is roughly 57 percent renewables, 34 percent gas and 8 percent nuclear.
Renewables and climate concerns
NextEra’s deal with Meta also would give a boost to low-carbon energy. The companies said Monday they signed power purchase agreements for nine solar projects in three electricity markets, including in Texas and the Midwest. In total, they said 2.5 gigawatts of clean energy contracts between the companies is slated to come online between 2026 and 2028.
The flurry of announcements come as analysts are upping their projections for data center growth. Last week, BloombergNEF said electricity demand from U.S. data centers could be 36 percent higher than forecast a few months ago, as hyperscalers continue to announce larger and larger projects.
“Data centers are rapidly scaling in size to meet compute intensity,” the BloombergNEF report said.
The Trump administration has been aiming to advance AI in various ways, including through an action plan and Department of Energy process to build data centers at multiple national lab sites. Trump officials have pushed for gas, nuclear and coal to meet growing electricity demand.
The AI build-out — and reliance on fossil fuels — is raising alarm among some environmentalists about emissions and climate change. It’s also spurring protests in battleground states like Michigan, where residents are concerned about the energy and water use of data centers. Renewable advocates argue that the Trump administration’s rollback of tax credits for wind and solar could make electricity more expensive, especially considering turbine and pipeline constraints with gas.
In a letter sent to Congress on Monday, more than 230 environmental, state and local organizations called for a moratorium on data center development, saying it is “one of the biggest environmental and social threats of our generation.”
The “expansion is rapidly increasing demand for energy, driving more fossil fuel pollution, straining water resources and raising electricity prices across the country,” said the letter, which was facilitated by the national environmental group Food & Water Watch and signed by Physicians for Social Responsibility, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and other organizations.
