One Nuclear plans gas-fired data center near Musk’s Starbase

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(The Center Square) – Energy developer ONE Nuclear announced Monday it has signed an agreement with a group of Louisiana landowners that secures a site for a 2.88-gigawatt natural gas-fired power plant, battery storage system, and data center campus located between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Florida-based ONE Nuclear intends to build Project Cayman near the RiverPlex MegaPark on a site about 90 miles northeast of SpaceX’s recently announced Starbase project, One Nuclear said in a statement. Elon Musk’s 125,000-acre, $100 billion Starbase Louisiana project is designed to be the largest rocket launch facility on Earth.

According to One Nuclear, Project Cayman will support regional economic development by providing reliable on-demand electricity to the local electric grid paired with a 700-megawatt battery storage system.

“Project Cayman, with its 2.88 GW power capacity, demonstrates that ONE Nuclear is committed to supporting the future economic development of one of Louisiana’s most important industrial regions,” said Richard Taylor, CEO of ONE Nuclear. “ONE Nuclear is proud to invest in the region to support the rapidly growing energy needs created by other recently announced developments such as the SpaceX Starbase project and Hyundai’s $5.8 billion steel mill,” added Taylor.

Community outreach efforts are already underway, One Nuclear said. The outreach is expected to include a series of public information meetings with local parishes, governmental agencies, and other interested parties from September through December 2026, according to the company.

Details on the data center's development timeline and potential project partners were not disclosed.

Currently, One Nuclear has three active development sites located in Texas, New Mexico, and Washington.

As with the company’s other active projects, One Nuclear plans to initially deploy on-site natural gas generation at the Louisiana data center followed by a phased transition to nuclear power when Small Modular Reactor technology becomes commercially available.

An agreement with Rolls-Royce allows ONE Nuclear to buy and deploy the scarce natural gas turbines necessary to quickly generate power. This equipment will provide the company's data centers with power until the SMRs come online.