Aliquippa Steel Mill Conversion (Blackstone-PPL)
Aliquippa, Beaver County
A data center project in Aliquippa, Beaver County, and the end user has not been named publicly.
The project by the numbers
Proposed for Aliquippa, Beaver County
- Tenant
- Not disclosed. No end user has been named publicly.
- Current stage
- Announced as a multibillion-dollar mill conversion; acreage, capacity, and end tenant remain unconfirmed publicly.
- Decision body
- Aliquippa
- Top issues
- Residents and officials have focused on what remains in the ground from the site's industrial past, how little has been disclosed about the end user, water use, continuous mechanical noise, and emissions from backup generation.
Blackstone $25B PA commitment; QTS (51% PPL / 49% Blackstone Infrastructure JV). Multi-tenant hyperscale; PPL gas-generation JV. First power plants likely not until ~2031. Blackstone announced separate AI DC publicly traded acquisition vehicle Feb 27 2026; QTS closed $4.6B inaugural high-grade bond April 6 2026 with $12.5B peak demand. A roughly $25 billion conversion of the former Aliquippa steel mill into a high-density data center complex, backed by Blackstone, which is separately in a generation joint venture with PPL. Reporting has also associated QTS with a Western Pennsylvania campus in Aliquippa. The Post-Gazette's February 2026 survey of the Beaver Valley described developers approaching sites under nondisclosure, with Aliquippa mayor and Midland borough manager Dwan Walker describing early-stage siting as 'cloak and dagger' and residents objecting that they learn of projects late. Exact acreage, megawatts, and the end tenant have not been publicly confirmed.
Coverage of this project
- 2026-02-12 BC Biz PAData Centers? Beaver County Can't Seem to Get Enough of ThemCounty-wide buildout context
- 2026-02-08 Pittsburgh Post-GazetteBeaver Valley becomes data center targetSecrecy and disclosure; mayor on 'cloak and dagger' siting
- 2025-10-16 Data Center KnowledgePennsylvania's $70 Billion Race for America's Data Centers$25B mill conversion backed by Blackstone alongside the PPL JV
Know your rights
In Pennsylvania, a data center on industrial land usually needs a special exception or conditional use, decided by a local Zoning Hearing Board after a public, quasi-judicial hearing. Neighbors can request party status, cross-examine witnesses, and build an evidentiary record. Municipalities can also write data-center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Take action
Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and ask your municipality for a moratorium and a real ordinance.
How communities push back →