Proposed "Hyperscale" Data Center Wants 1/3 Of AL Water Utility's Capacity; Process Fogged By NDAs

[hatrack]

Developers of a proposed hyperscale data center may find themselves lacking a resource essential for the operation of what would be one of the largest such facilities in the United States: water. Public documents obtained by Inside Climate News reveal that the Warrior River Water Authority, the utility that serves the area where the 4.5 million-square-foot facility is proposed to be located, has said that it could not provide the requested water flow of 2 million gallons per day without “significant upgrades to the existing water system.”

“Warrior River Water Authority has existing mains along Rock Mountain Lake Road where water service can be provided but not at the requested demand,” said a letter from the utility to the engineering firm the developer hired.

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Although some improvements could be completed relatively quickly, those needed to supply 2 million gallons of water a day will take longer, the letter said: “Due to the large volume of usage requested by this project, agreements will be needed to assure the usage will match this commitment and the Authority’s investment in additional infrastructure.”

Developers have refused to disclose an end user for the proposed data center, but the scale of the project leaves only a few large technology companies as realistic customers, including Amazon, Microsoft, Apple and Google. Google already operates a data center in Jackson County, Alabama. According to the company’s 2025 environmental report, that facility consumes more than 182 million gallons of water per day.

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https://insideclimatenews.org/news/12072025/bessemer-alabama-water-utility-data-center-upgrades/