Two of the largest technology companies operating data centers in north Alabama are moving ahead with expansion plans even as local officials and residents debate the industry's growth in the region. Meta runs a hyperscale data center campus in north Huntsville near Toney, drawing electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority and purchasing water from Huntsville Utilities. The company added two more buildings to the site, a project that is expected to bring the campus to roughly 3.5 million square feet.
Google operates a separate hyperscale facility in Jackson County near Bridgeport, built on the site of the former TVA Widows Creek coal plant. The company announced a $1.5 billion expansion of that campus to take place across 2026 and 2027. Smaller data center operators, including Simple Helix, DC BLOX and Scipio Technologies, also run facilities in the surrounding region.
The expansions arrive as TVA implements a new rate structure for large power users starting October 1, adding roughly 10 percent to electricity costs for such customers over three years and applying a capacity commitment charge for projects exceeding five megawatts. Huntsville Utilities External Affairs Director Joe Gehrdes said Meta's water use is comparable to that of a large retail store and that the company pays standard customer rates.
Local reaction has been mixed, with some council members and residents pushing for tighter development standards while the facilities continue to expand under existing agreements with utility providers.
Source: Huntsville Business Journal -- https://huntsvillebusinessjournal.com/news/2026/09/23/are-more-data-centers-coming-to-north-alabama-what-local-leaders-are-saying/