Data Center Census

Bessemer, Jefferson County, AL

Project Marvel

Also known as QTS Bessemer, Bessemer Hyperscale Data Center

ApprovedRezoning approved Nov. 2025 and expanded to 914 acres in April 2026; residents' rezoning lawsuit dismissed with prejudice June 22, 2026.
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Project Marvel is a $14.5 billion hyperscale data center campus off Rock Mountain Lake Road on Bessemer's rural southwest edge, planned at about 4.5 million sq ft and up to 1,200 MW. The Bessemer City Council approved the rezoning in November 2025 and expanded it to 914 acres for up to 18 buildings in April 2026. QTS confirmed in July 2026 that it is pursuing the campus. A residents' lawsuit over the rezoning was dismissed with prejudice in June 2026.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity1.2 GW [4]
up to 1,200 MW
Site size914 acres [2]
rezoned area after April 2026 expansion; original request was about 700 acres
Floor area4.5 million sq ft [4]
Buildings18 [2]
Stated investment$14.5 billion [1]
Target completionUp to 10 years to complete, per developers [4]

Power

UtilityAlabama Power [8]
developer said Alabama Power confirmed about 1.2 gigawatts
Source excerpt
“"About 1.2 gigawatts, which is the power confirmation that we've received from Alabama Power," said Rashid.”

Water

Water use2,000,000 gal/day [5]
Alabama Rivers Alliance says at least 2 million gal/day was requested from Warrior River Water Authority
Water sourceWarrior River Water Authority (with Jefferson County Sewer), per developer; discussions ongoing as of Nov. 2025 [8]
Source excerpt
“He said conversations are ongoing with the Warrior River Water Authority and Jefferson County Sewer to serve the site and that "there are some capital improvements that need to be made to those systems that will be funded by us as the developer to achieve our utility demand there."”
Coolingclosed-loop [3]
QTS says it will not consume water for cooling once operational

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesQTS says it will not seek local property tax incentives [3]

Local decisions & site

Deciding voteBessemer City Council approved rezoning 5-2 on Nov. 18, 2025 (Cleo King and Donna Thigpen opposed) [7]
Source excerpt
“After the Bessemer City Council voted 5-2 to rezone nearly 700 acres of agricultural land for the "hyperscale" server farm, a dissenting council member said city officials who signed non-disclosure agreements weren't being transparent with citizens.”
ZoningRezoned from agricultural to light industrial [2]
Source excerpt
“The Bessemer City Council voted to rezone 914 additional acres, shifting land owned by Logistic Land Investment LLC from agricultural use to light industrial.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Lawsuits

Rock Mountain Lake Road residents v. City of Bessemerdismissed [6]
Nearby residents challenged the Project Marvel rezoning process; Judge David Hobdy granted a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice on June 22, 2026.
Jefferson County Circuit Court · filed Apr 2025
Source excerpt
“Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge David Hobdy granted a joint stipulation of dismissal on Monday, June 22, ending more than a year of litigation.”

Timeline

  1. City officials sign a non-disclosure agreement with the developer (later amended Feb. 2026) [4]

  2. Nearby residents file a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court challenging the rezoning [6]

  3. Bessemer City Council gives final approval to the Project Marvel rezoning [1]

  4. Council approves rezoning of 914 acres, allowing 18 data center structures across an expanded footprint [2]

  5. Judge David Hobdy dismisses the residents' rezoning lawsuit with prejudice [6]

  6. QTS confirms plans for the data center campus [3]

  7. NDA released showing officials had to destroy confidential records when it expires or when the developer asks [4]

Issues raised

  • Residents raised concerns about water, wildlife, noise and local infrastructure [2]
  • Alabama Rivers Alliance warns construction runoff could threaten the Birmingham darter downstream [5]
  • Homeowners alleged arbitrary and capricious spot zoning; the court dismissed their suit without giving a reason in the record [6]
  • Transparency concerns over an NDA that barred officials from disclosing the developer's identity and site plans [4]

Sources

  1. "Project Marvel" data center could come to Bessemer, Alabama
    DatacenterDynamics · Nov 17, 2025 · news
  2. Bessemer approves rezoning of 914 acres for 'Project Marvel' data center
    ABC 33/40 · Apr 21, 2026 · news
  3. QTS confirms plans for proposed data center campus in Bessemer
    WBRC · Jul 2, 2026 · news
  4. Document shows Bessemer data center non-disclosure agreement required officials to destroy records
    WBHM / Inside Climate News · Jul 14, 2026 · news
  5. Project Marvel
    Alabama Rivers Alliance · other
  6. Bessemer data center rezoning lawsuit dismissed
    WBRC · Jun 25, 2026 · news
  7. An Alabama City Council Approves Rezoning for a Massive Data Center, Dividing a Community
    Inside Climate News · Nov 18, 2025 · news
  8. Bessemer City Council approves rezoning for $14.5 billion data center project despite transparency concerns
    WBRC · Nov 19, 2025 · news