SOURCE-LINKED U.S. REGISTRY

QTS Bessemer (Project Marvel)

QTS Data Centers · Bessemer, AL · United States

Facility record

Lifecycle
ProposedSource-reported lifecycle
Location precision
approximate
Address as listed
Not published
Coordinates
33.44, -86.97
Serving utility, source-reported
Alabama Power
Operational capacity, source-reported
Not published
Planned capacity, source-reported
1200 MW
Source record updated
2026-10-22

Source-reported capacity; not metered consumption. Review underlying documents and notes. Planned capacity may include future phases and is not added to operational capacity here. The source may use facility, grid-feed or IT capacity definitions; consult the linked documents.

Coordinate precision is a source label, not an independent parcel survey. A marker does not confirm utility territory or establish an effect on residential bills.

Reported lifecycle history

  1. Proposed

    Project Marvel first surfaced March 2025; unnamed developer (via Logistics Land Investment LLC, an affiliate of Atlanta-based TPA Group) sought rezoning of ~700 acres in Bessemer for hyperscale data center

    Underlying source
  2. Proposed

    Bessemer City Council voted 5-2 to approve rezoning ~700 acres from agricultural (A-1) to light industrial (I-1) on November 18, 2025; developer identity still not publicly disclosed

    Underlying source
  3. Proposed

    Bessemer City Council approved rezoning of 914 additional acres in April 2026, expanding total site to ~1,607 acres; 18-building count unchanged, additional land used for wider buffers and layout flexibility

    Underlying source
  4. Proposed

    QTS Data Centers (Blackstone) publicly confirmed as operator behind Project Marvel, July 1-2, 2026; project described as in active planning stage

    Underlying source

Source notes

Codename: Project Marvel. 18-building hyperscale campus on Red Ridge near I-459 and I-20/59 interchange in Bessemer (Jefferson County). Announced capacity: up to 1,200 MW at full build-out — reported as a planned ceiling, roughly 9% of Alabama Power's current generating capacity; recorded as a planned capacity of 1,200 MW (an announced 'up to' full-build-out ceiling, consistent with how the dataset records other announced full-build-out figures). Investment: TPA Group's Adam Rashid told the Bessemer City Council in November 2025 that the overall capital investment is expected to be $14.5 billion (WBRC), and that figure is recorded as the investment figure; other reports put it at about $14–14.4B (Logistics Land Investment anticipated 'close to $14.4B'; DCD reported ~$14B), and QTS's own July 2026 statement gives no dollar amount. Land: ~1,607.42 acres total after two rezoning rounds (initial ~700 acres November 2025 + 914-acre expansion April 2026). QTS affiliate purchased land from TPA Group affiliate for $431.73M. Chapter 9B statutory eligibility would have provided a 30-year abatement estimated at $500M+; QTS committed not to seek local property tax incentives (per WBRC July 2026) — no subsidy is recorded, as eligibility does not equal award and QTS renounced pursuit. Full buildout timeline: 7+ years. Birmingham Business Alliance estimated ~$4B net benefit over 30 years; Bessemer City Schools projected ~$25M/year. AI framing not officially confirmed by QTS or the city as of July 2026 — size and scale (hyperscale, cloud/AI demand framing in QTS statement) support an AI classification of likely. Coordinates are approximate for the Red Ridge parcel area. Jobs: ~1,000 construction and ~330 permanent are projected figures for the proposed (not-yet-built) campus (WBRC, Nov 2025), and are recorded as the construction and permanent jobs figures. QTS Data Centers is owned by Blackstone (2021 take-private). Status: Bessemer approved land-use rezonings for this campus in November 2025 and again (914 acres) in April 2026, which, if a rezoning approval is treated as permitted, could argue for permitted rather than proposed. Status is kept at proposed because the cited source dated 2026-07-02 postdates both rezonings and still describes the campus as proposed, and no building permit or site-preparation start was found in any cited source.

Alabama Power confirmed 1,200 MW power availability for the campus. QTS committed project-related energy costs will not be passed on to local utility ratepayers. Opponents (NAACP, Black Warrior Riverkeeper, SELC) raised concerns that the facility will rely on fossil fuels. Bibb County residents identified as potentially facing higher power bills due to grid strain.

Sources and provenance

Power Wars capture: 2026-11-02. Compute Atlas, CC BY 4.0. Entries are not independently verified by Power Wars unless stated.

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