Google will invest a further $1.5 billion in expanding its data center campus in Jackson County, Alabama, through 2027.

The campus, located on the site of the former Widows Creek coal plant, has been operating since 2019.

Construction began on the site in 2017, two years after the company announced plans for the campus. At the time, it was described as a $600 million project.

According to Baxtel, as of 2022, the site had two data center buildings, each spanning 135,000 sq ft (12,540 sqm). Details of the eventual planned footprint have not been shared.

Amanda Peterson Corio, global head of energy and power at Google, said on LinkedIn: "This site has a unique backstory. We were able to locate our Jackson County campus on land that was once home to the shuttered Widows Creek coal-fired power plant. Decades of investment didn’t go to waste just because the site had closed. Instead, we repurposed existing electric lines and infrastructure to enhance the data center’s reliability and add clean power to the grid.

"Building on the hundreds of full-time jobs the data center already supports and the billions of economic impact it has driven since 2018, we’ll also train more than 130,000 Alabamians in digital skills in collaboration with 150+ organizations."

Google noted that the company will cover the expansion's energy requirements, including infrastructure costs driven by its operations. The company has contracted to bring 300MW of new generation capacity to the Tennessee Valley region, including a 50MW nuclear power partnership with Kairos Power and TVA announced in 2025.

Google has also launched a $2m Energy Impact Fund alongside the plans to expand its data center campus. This will support programs that drive down monthly energy bills for local families. In partnership with TVA and the Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama (CAANEAL), the fund will support weatherization and energy efficiency services for local schools and income-qualified households, primarily in Jackson County.

"Sustainable growth is only possible when a community thrives alongside it," said Thomas Gamble, Jackson County site lead, Google. "Our continued expansion in Alabama is driven by a long-term vision of shared success. By investing heavily in the students, small businesses, and local organizations that form the backbone of Jackson County, Google aims to build a foundation of opportunity that will benefit the region long after construction is complete."