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Bessemer releases mayor's NDA with developer for $14.5 billion "Project Marble" data center
Summary
Bessemer disclosed a nondisclosure agreement tied to Project Marble after a threatened lawsuit. The document shows Mayor Kenneth Gully, the chief of staff and the city attorney signed an agreement with Logistics Land Investment that limits public disclosure and requires destruction of confidential materials.
BESSEMER, Ala. — The city of Bessemer has released a nondisclosure agreement its mayor signed with the developer of Project Marble, a proposed $14,500,000,000 data center complex, after weeks of public pressure and a threatened lawsuit.
The released document shows Mayor Kenneth Gully, the mayor's chief of staff and the city attorney signed an agreement with Logistics Land Investment that restricted what information the city could share publicly, covering business operations, trade secrets, project plans, drawings, studies and analyses, according to the agreement described in the released materials.
The NDA and related materials identify QTS data centers as the planned operator of a campus the documents describe as roughly 1,600 acres with 18 buildings totaling about 4,500,000 square feet. The plans in the document estimate daily water needs of up to 130,000 gallons and an electrical draw of about 1,200 megawatts from Alabama Power.
The agreement included a clause requiring confidential materials to be destroyed at the developer's request or when the NDA expired. The reporter said an attorney for the Alabama Press Association told the reporter that such a destruction requirement is "unusual for a city government that makes decisions affecting the public." The original version of the NDA also initially specified that signatories must follow Georgia state law, a choice the reporter said critics found puzzling for an Alabama city and Alabama‑based project.
Residents and local critics have repeatedly pressed city leaders for information about Project Marble at public meetings, the reporter said, raising concerns about transparency as well as environmental and infrastructure impacts tied to water and power demands. Public meetings drew overflowing crowds where speakers called for more disclosure about the project's scope and potential local effects.
City officials did not provide new comment in the released transcript beyond the contents of the document; the released NDA is the primary source for the size and resource estimates cited above. Residents continue to seek further details about the project's timeline, permits and environmental review as the city's disclosure prompts renewed public scrutiny.
