Project Marvel
Bessemer, Jefferson County, ALDeveloper: QTS Data Centers, TPA Group
Also known as QTS Bessemer, Bessemer Hyperscale Data Center
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
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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.
- Stated investment
- $14.5 billion[1]
Key facts
Size & schedule
| Planned capacity | 1.2 GW [4] up to 1,200 MW |
|---|---|
| Site size | 914 acres [2] rezoned area after April 2026 expansion; original request was about 700 acres |
| Floor area | 4.5 million sq ft [4] |
| Buildings | 18 [2] |
| Stated investment | $14.5 billion [1] |
| Target completion | Up to 10 years to complete, per developers [4] |
How big is that? Data center sizes compared with football fields and Central Park.
Power
| Utility | Alabama Power [8] Utility pages: Alabama Power · data centers and bills 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 use | 2,000,000 gal/day [5] Alabama Rivers Alliance says at least 2 million gal/day was requested from Warrior River Water Authority |
|---|---|
| Water source | Warrior 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."” |
| Cooling | closed-loop [3] QTS says it will not consume water for cooling once operational |
Money & incentives
| Tax incentives | QTS says it will not seek local property tax incentives [3] |
|---|
Local decisions & site
| Deciding vote | Bessemer 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.” |
|---|---|
| Zoning | Rezoned 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.
Water and power
Water
Not disclosed. No source reviewed gives a water figure for this site. The Census does not estimate one.
Disclosed figures only, each as the cited source states it. Many are projections or permit limits, not metered use. How data center water and power use is measured, and every disclosed figure →
Community concerns
Concerns are listed as the cited public sources report them (meeting minutes, dockets, filed cases, official statements and news). They are raised, not validated, and a response is shown beside a concern only where a source reports one. All community concerns →
Land use and zoning
- Nearby homeowners filed suit alleging the rezoning was spot zoning without a rational basis; the case was later dismissed with prejudice with no reason in court records.
Raised by: lawsuit · Jun 25, 2026 · Source: WBRC
Transparency and NDAs
- Environmental organizations criticized a nondisclosure agreement that restricted release of project information and required officials to destroy records.
Raised by: organization (Southern Environmental Law Center; Alabama Rivers Alliance) · Jul 14, 2026 · Source: WBHM / Inside Climate News
Environment and wildlife
- Alabama Rivers Alliance said construction soil disturbance could threaten the Birmingham darter, a fish found downstream of the site.
Raised by: organization (Alabama Rivers Alliance) · Apr 11, 2026 · Source: Alabama Rivers Alliance
Something missing or wrong? Ask for a review. Posts on social media are never used as sources.
Lawsuits
| Rock Mountain Lake Road residents v. City of Bessemer | dismissed [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
City officials sign a non-disclosure agreement with the developer (later amended Feb. 2026) [4]
Nearby residents file a lawsuit in Jefferson County Circuit Court challenging the rezoning [6]
Bessemer City Council gives final approval to the Project Marvel rezoning [1]
Council approves rezoning of 914 acres, allowing 18 data center structures across an expanded footprint [2]
Judge David Hobdy dismisses the residents' rezoning lawsuit with prejudice [6]
QTS confirms plans for the data center campus [3]
NDA released showing officials had to destroy confidential records when it expires or when the developer asks [4]
Two of the five Bessemer City Council members who voted for the Project Marvel rezoning lose their seats in the August municipal elections, according to the Birmingham Free Press [9]
Mayor Kenneth Gulley, who backed Project Marvel, loses the mayoral runoff to former council member Louise Alexander, 54.53% to 45.47%, after an election season the Birmingham Free Press describes as dominated by the project [10]
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]
Issues are concerns and claims raised by the parties, officials or residents named in the cited sources. They are reported as attributed, not as findings by the Census.
Sources
- "Project Marvel" data center could come to Bessemer, AlabamaDatacenterDynamics · Nov 17, 2025 · news
- Bessemer approves rezoning of 914 acres for 'Project Marvel' data centerABC 33/40 · Apr 21, 2026 · news
- QTS confirms plans for proposed data center campus in BessemerWBRC · Jul 2, 2026 · news
- Document shows Bessemer data center non-disclosure agreement required officials to destroy recordsWBHM / Inside Climate News · Jul 14, 2026 · news
- Project MarvelAlabama Rivers Alliance · other
- Bessemer data center rezoning lawsuit dismissedWBRC · Jun 25, 2026 · news
- An Alabama City Council Approves Rezoning for a Massive Data Center, Dividing a CommunityInside Climate News · Nov 18, 2025 · news
- Bessemer City Council approves rezoning for $14.5 billion data center project despite transparency concernsWBRC · Nov 19, 2025 · news
- Redacted: Alabama Power's Data Center Deals and the Numbers Ratepayers Can't SeeBirmingham Free Press · Sep 20, 2026 · news
- Bessemer Mayor Kenneth Gulley Loses Runoff as $14.5 Billion Data Center Becomes Defining IssueBirmingham Free Press · Sep 23, 2026 · news
Cite this page
Last updated Sep 24, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Project Marvel. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-marvel-bessemer-al |
|---|---|
| MLA | “Project Marvel.” Data Center Census, Sep 24, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-marvel-bessemer-al. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/dc/project-marvel-bessemer-al |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.