Data centers in Alabama: 12 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Alabama's largest proposal is QTS's Project Marvel in Bessemer, southwest of Birmingham, planned as 17 buildings each the size of a Walmart Supercenter. Officials approved the rezoning, and neighbors expect up to a decade of construction. Alabama Power has a power contract for a planned 300-megawatt data center in Birmingham; Beacon Data Centers proposes a $6 billion campus on about 650 acres in Calvert; and residents in Prichard have pushed back on a project tied to Edged. In Lowndes County, Cloverleaf Infrastructure's Project Red Clay would put four 720,000-square-foot buildings along Highway 80 and has requested 1,500 megawatts of power from Alabama Power.

Much of this has happened out of view. Bessemer's mayor and city attorney signed non-disclosure agreements with QTS, and residents of Westover in Shelby County found a county probate record showing a 14-building data center plan after town officials said none was in the works. "If our public officials weren't doing anything wrong, why has it all been done in secret?" said Westover resident Shannon Vanden Heuvel.

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.