$36 billion dollars! Japan promised Trump the first investment and aimed it at American energy.

Japan has fulfilled the first installment of its $550 billion investment commitment to the United States, totaling $36 billion, with the most notable project being a natural gas power plant with a capacity of 9.2 gigawatts. This was one of the core components of the Japan-US trade agreement reached last year. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick referred to the facility located in Ohio as the "largest natural gas power plant in history." The project will be operated by SB Energy, a subsidiary of Japan's SoftBank, aiming to enhance grid reliability, expand base load power supply, and support American manufacturing with affordable energy. The remaining funds will be used to construct a synthetic diamond factory and the Texas GulfLink deepwater oil export terminal in Texas. The latter is expected to generate $20-30 billion in US crude oil exports annually, with a daily export capacity of 1 million barrels. This investment reflects the reality of surging electricity demand in the United States, particularly driven by data centers powered by artificial intelligence. The International Energy Agency stated this week that global electricity demand is growing at the fastest rate in 15 years, with natural gas becoming the preferred source for providing uninterrupted power. Largest natural gas power plant to meet AI electricity demand The 9.2 gigawatts natural gas power plant will be built in Ohio, using the majority of the $36 billion initial investment. Commerce Secretary Lutnick stated in a declaration that the project will "enhance grid reliability, expand base load power, and support American manufacturing with affordable energy." The project directly responds to the rapid growth in US electricity demand. International Energy Agency data shows a 2.1% increase in US electricity demand by 2025, with a near 2% growth expected annually by 2030. The rapid expansion of data centers will drive half of this growth. Natural gas, along with nuclear power, emerges as the biggest winner in the AI race, both capable of providing the uninterrupted power data centers rely on. However, due to longer construction periods and higher costs, natural gas power plants have been prioritized. Deepwater oil terminal advancing energy domination strategy The Texas GulfLink deepwater oil export terminal project received approval from the Trump administration earlier this month. Led by Sentinel Midstream, the project has a daily export capacity of 1 million barrels of crude oil. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in a statement to Reuters, "The Texas GulfLink project demonstrates that when we cut unnecessary red tape and unleash the fossil fuel industry, we create jobs domestically and stability internationally. This critical deepwater port will enable the United States to export our abundant resources faster than ever before." The Commerce Department stated in a briefing on the Japan agreement that the deepwater facility will generate $400-600 billion in revenue over 20 years and advance President Trump's energy domination agenda. Energy commitments under trade agreement Last year's trade agreement reached with Trump to avoid widespread tariffs on exports to the US made energy import commitments from most countries, proving tariffs to be an effective tool in pursuing energy dominance objectives. The Japan-US trade agreement was reached last summer, including proposed tariff reductions on Japanese imports from 25% to 15%, as well as Japan's $550 billion investment commitment to the US economy. Japan also committed to expanding market access for American goods, including automobiles, Shenzhen Agricultural Power Group, and energy. The most notable commitment in this regard was the EU's commitment to purchasing $750 billion worth of American oil and natural gas. Analysts believe that this goal is physically unattainable due to limitations such as availability of such a large-scale commodity supply, consumption restrictions, and price considerations. This article was originally published by "Wall Street See", authored by Pan Lingfei; GMTEight editor: Yan Wencai.