Request for Proposals: Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure and Energy Generation on DOE Land at Savannah River Site

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is soliciting proposals through Request for Proposals RFP-AI-1 for the design, financing, permitting, development, construction, installation, ownership, maintenance, operation, and decommissioning of artificial intelligence data center and energy generation infrastructure on federal land at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Proposals must include both data center facilities with specialized IT equipment and associated cooling systems, as well as energy supply, transmission, and storage infrastructure to support operations. Offerors must be U.S. entities and are encouraged to submit commercially viable proposals without requiring direct government financial contribution, with the flexibility to propose various energy generation technologies and innovative approaches. The NNSA will evaluate proposals for technical merit, commercial viability, and past performance, while also reviewing all submissions for foreign ownership, control, and influence. The proposal submission deadline is January 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EST, with an industry day having been held on December 9, 2025, to provide potential bidders with technical information and site details.

This solicitation carries no set-aside designations and anticipates multiple awards with the NNSA leasing approximately 250 to 450 acres across ten identified tracts, with individual tract sizes ranging from 81 to 570 acres out of a total 3,103 acres available at the site. No specific incumbent contractors are identified, and the RFP does not establish predetermined award values or budget caps, allowing proposers to determine project scope and investment levels. The Savannah River Site, located in Aiken, South Carolina, offers existing infrastructure support including a DOE-owned transmission and distribution grid powered by three 115 kV lines, a 20 MW biomass combined cycle plant, and planned 75 MW solar facilities, along with access to approximately 250,000 gallons per minute of available surface water. Lessees will be responsible for water system connections, heavy load engineering evaluations, and coordination with existing site operations and regulatory agencies including the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services and Dominion Energy South Carolina. The lease structure represents a long-term partnership with flexibility in site selection, development timelines, and technology choices, positioning the opportunity to advance American leadership in AI and energy generation capabilities.