On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a request for information (RFI) that identified 16 potential DOE sites, located on federally owned or managed land, that may be made available for the rapid construction of AI infrastructure. The official DOE RFI, as published in the Federal Register on April 7, 2025, indicates that public response to the RFI may serve to assist DOE when preparing public solicitation requests from private-sector parties for the construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of AI infrastructure on federal land.
The DOE press release noted that developers of the energy infrastructure necessary to support the data centers’ energy demands will have the ability to fast-track permitting for any new energy generation, such as nuclear. The RFI defines AI infrastructure to include the physical AI data centers, which also encompasses the IT equipment and cooling facilities associated with the facility, and the data centers’ energy supply (i.e., generation, transmission — including substations — and storage). The DOE aims to begin construction of AI infrastructure at select DOE sites by the end of 2025.
The RFI encourages responses from entities with experience in developing and operating AI infrastructure as well as businesses with commercial experience in the energy and utility industry. In “Category 3: On-Site Energy Development” of the RFI, the DOE calls for input on questions that stem from its anticipation that some sites may be suitable for the co-located development of data centers and various energy technologies. The DOE also has invited feedback from the public on whether any DOE sites not listed would be of interest for future development. Responses to the DOE RFI should be submitted no later than May 7, 2025.
The following are potential sites identified by the DOE.
- Idaho National Laboratory
- Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant
- Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- National Energy Technology Laboratory
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Sandia National Laboratories
- Savannah River Site
- Pantex Plant
- Kansas City National Security Campus
Further details concerning the RFI and how to submit a response are available on the Federal Register.
The authors thank Joey Gaston for contributing to this alert. He is not licensed to practice law.
