{"id":34401,"date":"2026-02-23T01:21:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/clayco-backs-historic-doe-bid-for-nuclear-powered-data-center-campus\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T01:21:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T09:21:23","slug":"clayco-backs-historic-doe-bid-for-nuclear-powered-data-center-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/clayco-doe-bid-nuclear-powered-data-center\/812552\/","title":{"rendered":"Clayco backs historic DOE bid for nuclear-powered data center campus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/files\/membership-default-internal\/\" class=\"memberhide\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2023\/01\/20220718_175041000_iOS.jpg\" alt=\"-\"><\/a><br\/><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech\">\n    <button class=\"text-to-speech__button button\"><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"text-to-speech__button__icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/static\/img\/play.svg?500116090725\" alt=\"-\"><br \/>\n        Listen to the article<br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-to-speech__button__audio-length\">3 min<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls\">\n        <audio controls=\"\" class=\"js-text-to-speech\" preload=\"none\"><source src=\"https:\/\/text-to-speech.divecdn.com\/newspost\/812552\/2026-02-19_10.42.54\/clayco-doe-bid-nuclear-powered-data-center.wav\" type=\"audio\/mp3\"><\/source><\/audio><\/p>\n<div class=\"text-to-speech__controls__text\">\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Dive Brief:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>Clayco could soon be digging on the site of the first fully integrated <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/claycorp.com\/latest\/clayco-supports-deep-atomic-consortium-with-department-of-energy-submissions-for-proposed-first-nuclear-powered-ai-data-center-campus-in-u-s\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>nuclear-powered data center<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> in the U.S., according to a Feb. 12 news release from the Chicago-based general contractor.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>A multidisciplinary consortium, led by Swiss-American energy company Deep Atomic, submitted proposals to the Department of Energy to pair advanced nuclear energy with hyperscale data center construction. One proposal includes a campus at the Idaho National Laboratory, where Clayco would advise on construction phasing and sequencing.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The project underscores a growing trend of data center developers looking for <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/data-center-boom-fuels-nuclear-construction-projects\/733278\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>alternative forms of energy<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> to power builds. If approved, the project could serve as an example for more nuclear-powered artificial intelligence infrastructure, according to Clayco.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Dive Insight:<\/h3>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Pending DOE approval, Clayco would roll out the project in phases. The general contractor would build the data center facility first, which would initially be powered by existing grid, geothermal and solar power, according to a Clayco statement shared with Construction Dive.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Deep Atomic would then incorporate its MK60 Small Modular Reactor into the campus following the vertical build, according to the statement. Clayco expects this to serve as a demonstration for how nuclear-powered artificial intelligence infrastructure could be deployed across the country.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cWe believe this project could serve as a blueprint for providing data centers with the clean, scalable power that increased AI use requires,\u201d said the Clayco statement. \u201cThe implementation of these types of SMRs will see increased adoption going forward.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Clayco will also advise the consortium on infrastructure integration. That includes aligning design and construction approaches with the requirements of these high-density AI workloads when operational, according to the release.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>AI infrastructure projects will cause an anticipated 15% spike in electricity demand by 2030, according to Clayco. To keep up with that demand, more developers are looking for alternate energy sources to power data centers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cThis growing need necessitates the utilization of alternative power sources to maintain grid stability,\u201d according to the Clayco statement. \u201cIt also presents a pivotal moment for U.S. power infrastructure to enhance its reliance on clean energy sources including nuclear, enabling greater sustainability in this critical sector of American development.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Clayco currently has 57 active data center projects under construction across the United States, the contractor shared with Construction Dive. That hands-on experience in the sector made Clayco uniquely qualified to support Deep Atomic\u2019s construction goals, the firm said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cSuccessful DOE submissions require more than innovative energy concepts \u2014 they require confidence that projects can be delivered safely, efficiently, and at scale,\u201d said Bob Clark, executive chairman and founder of Clayco, in the release.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5143531171910809\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- News - Bottom -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5143531171910809\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"8320848692\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/clayco-doe-bid-nuclear-powered-data-center\/812552\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">This article was originally posted at Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to the article 3 min This audio is auto-generated. 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Dive Brief: &#8230; <a title=\"Clayco backs historic DOE bid for nuclear-powered data center campus\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/clayco-doe-bid-nuclear-powered-data-center\/812552\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Clayco backs historic DOE bid for nuclear-powered data center campus\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-dive","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}