The $14 billion "Project Marvel" data center has been approved by Bessemer City Council amidst fierce opposition.

The Council voted 5-2 at the Bessemer City Council meeting yesterday to approve a development plan for the 700-acre, 18-building facility, which is projected to offer 1.2GW of capacity once built.

WBRC reports that around 40 people spoke in opposition or support of the project, with concerns raised about the facility’s environmental impact, its effect on local utility rates, noise pollution, and traffic.

The facility will take seven years to build, according to WBRC.

Of particular concern to residents was the anonymous identity of the facility’s end user, which is hidden by an NDA. The developer, Logistic Land Investment LLC, is owned by Atlanta-based TPA Group, and the same company previously filed to build a data center in Venus, Texas, in July 2024.

Located just outside of Birmingham, which is one of Alabama’s main data center hubs, Bessemer is a city in Jefferson County. Data Center Map currently lists no data centers in the city.