NextEra Energy Unveils 15GW Power Generation Target for Data Center Hubs by 2035

NextEra Energy Unveils 15GW Power Generation Target for Data Center Hubs by 2035 January 28, 2026 In a significant move to address the surging energy demands of the digital economy, NextEra Energy, a leading US utility and renewable energy developer, has announced an ambitious plan to develop 15 gigawatts (GW) of new power generation capacity specifically for data center hubs by 2035. This initiative underscores the intensifying pressure on power grids from the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure. The company revealed its "15 by 35" target during its recent fourth-quarter earnings call, where management detailed a pipeline of 20GW of interest from large-load customers, predominantly hyperscale data center operators. Of this total, 9GW is currently in advanced stages of discussion. To support this anticipated growth, NextEra added 8.7GW of new generation to its portfolio in 2025 alone, including a record 3.6GW in the final quarter. The company also reported a substantial backlog of approximately 30GW of generation assets seeking grid interconnection. John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Energy, emphasized the company's strategic advantage, stating, "We have 20 data center hubs that we're developing currently, trying to expand that to 40. Small developers just don't have that. So we're in a great spot." He highlighted that the company's extensive renewables and storage portfolio provides a "speed-to-market solution" to power the initial phases of new data center construction. Energy storage is a critical component of this strategy. NextEra placed over 2GW of battery energy storage systems (BESS) into service in 2025, a 220% year-over-year increase. BESS now constitutes one-third of the company's 30GW project backlog. Furthermore, NextEra has identified 6GW of potential co-location opportunities for small modular reactors (SMRs) at its existing nuclear sites and new greenfield locations, exploring their role in providing long-term, carbon-free power for data center hubs. The announcement follows a series of major exclusive agreements with technology giants. Last year, NextEra expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to develop multiple gigawatt-scale data center campuses, building on an existing relationship encompassing more than 3.5GW of power. It also signed a 25-year agreement to support the restart of a 615MW nuclear plant in Iowa for Google. Separately, the company inked 2.5GW worth of clean energy contracts with Meta across 11 power purchase agreements and two energy storage deals. This large-scale commitment from a major utility signals a pivotal shift in how the energy sector is responding to the data center industry's exponential growth. It points to an emerging model of integrated energy and digital infrastructure development, where power generation, storage, and transmission are planned in concert with data center campus construction to ensure reliability and meet sustainability goals. Source: datacenterdynamics