Data centers in Jefferson County, Alabama: 2 projects mapped

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Two of Alabama's largest data centers are going up in Jefferson County. In Bessemer, a developer is clearing forest off Rock Mountain Lake Road for Project Marvel, a $14.5 billion campus that could use up to 1,200 megawatts of power when fully built. In Birmingham's Oxmoor Valley, Nebius is building BHM01 on land its affiliate bought for about $90 million. The county commission has no data center rules yet; staff are drafting an ordinance, and the county says it is under a de facto moratorium until the rules are in place.

Bessemer residents sued over Project Marvel's rezoning in April 2025, but on June 22 Judge David Hobdy dismissed the case with prejudice on a joint request, and court records gave no reason. In July the city released a secrecy agreement that barred it from releasing six kinds of information about the project, including who the developers are, and required officials to destroy their own notes when the developer asks. Councilmember Cleo King, who voted against the rezoning, said he was "totally shocked."

In Birmingham, the city council adopted a moratorium on March 3, but Nebius had already filed its permits, so the pause did not apply, and the city attorney ruled its power substations needed no zoning board approval. Homewood, Leeds and Pinson have their own moratoriums.

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.