Jefferson County, Alabama
DataCentersExposed tracks 5 AI data centers in Jefferson County, Alabama — 2 operating and 2 in the pipeline, drawing 1.5 GW of reported power demand. Its transparent data-center risk score is 0/100.
Sources: Methodology, Coverage scorecard
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated May 29, 2026
- Project exposure · 12
- Power demand · 0
- Water draw · n/a
- Land footprint · n/a
What's happening in Jefferson County
Facilities here with disclosed capacity draw 1.5 GW from the local grid. Data-center load on this scale is the single biggest driver of recent capacity-market price increases — costs that flow through to every ratepayer in the service territory, not just the operators.
Below: every tracked facility in the county, the active state legislation that names it or its county, and local news. Commissioner vote records arrive in a later release; the placeholders show where that accountability data will land.
2035 Buildout Outlook
Under the model's moderate-growth scenario (5%/yr annual load growth), PNNL's IM3 model sites about 1 standardized 36 MW campus in Jefferson County by 2035 — roughly 36 MW of new electricity demand and ~35 M gal/yr of cooling water. Under the higher-growth scenario (15%/yr) that climbs to 4 campuses (144 MW). For scale, we currently track 5 real data centers in Jefferson County (1.5 GW of reported power).
- High growth136 MW · ~35 M gal/yr cooling water
- Higher growth4144 MW · ~139 M gal/yr cooling water
The model assigns ~100% of these campuses' cooling to evaporative water cooling in Jefferson County (the rest to mechanical/air cooling), a split it derives from local water stress and wet-bulb temperature.
These are modeled candidate sites, not announced or permitted facilities. PNNL's IM3 model places identical 36 MW unit-campuses at feasible locations under each scenario — it shows where demand could concentrate, never a specific parcel. Figures use a market-gravity weight of 50. How the model works.
Every tracked facility
| Facility | Operator | Status | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Marvel Bessemer | Logistic Land Investments LLC | Proposed | 1,200 |
| BHM01 Nebius Data Center Birmingham | Nebius | Proposed | 300 |
| Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Alabama Data Center BIRMINGHAM | — | — | |
| CDC Birmingham BIRMINGHAM | — | — | |
| Sungard Systems International | — | Mapped (unverified) | — |
County commissioners
How the Jefferson County board votes on each data-center matter — the rezonings, the abatements, the water permits — is built from public-meeting minutes and roll-call records. Know of a vote we should be tracking? Tell us.