Short answer
Project Phoenix is a planned 2 GW, three-facility data center campus in Shippingport Industrial Park, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on land that was part of the former Bruce Mansfield coal plant. Aligned Data Centers says it will supply the campus with dedicated on-site natural gas power. Data Center Frontier reports a formal groundbreaking on Sept. 10, 2026, roughly $10 billion of regional investment, and estimates of 3,000 construction jobs and 640 permanent operations jobs. Cleanview's public record still lists the project as planned.
At a glance
- Developer / operator
- Aligned Data Centers (Denver-based sources differ; Dallas-based per Daily Signal)
- Location
- Shippingport Industrial Park, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh
- Size
- 2 GW campus, three data center facilities; local documents cite up to about 2 million sq ft
- Power
- Dedicated on-site natural gas, including fuel cells (company statement)
- Investment
- About $10 billion (per Data Center Frontier)
- Land
- About 650.9 acres bought in July 2026 for about $223 million (reported)
- Status
- Groundbreaking reported; Cleanview still lists it as planned
- Jobs (company)
- 3,000 construction jobs; 640 full-time operations jobs
What the sources establish
- Aligned broke ground on Project Phoenix, a 2 GW campus of three data center facilities, in Shippingport Industrial Park in Beaver County. [1] [5]
- The campus will use Aligned's own dedicated on-site power source rather than the local electric grid. [1] [2] [5]
- Data Center Frontier says Aligned will use natural gas fuel-cell generation at the campus, and describes the arrangement as grid-independent. [2]
- Data Center Frontier says the company formally broke ground on Sept. 10, 2026, and describes the campus as roughly $10 billion of regional investment. [2]
- Aligned estimates about 3,000 construction jobs and 640 full-time operations jobs, according to Data Center Frontier. [2]
- Data Center Frontier reports that Aligned bought about 650.9 acres in July 2026 for about $223 million, and that local documents describe up to three buildings totaling nearly 2 million square feet. [2]
- Shippingport Borough approved Aligned's conditional-use application on March 31, 2026, subject to conditions in its written decision. [2]
- The site was the Bruce Mansfield coal plant, which Frontier Group bought in 2022 and renamed the Shippingport Industrial Park. Frontier plans a 2.7 GW gas plant on the site. [1] [4] [5]
- Aligned operates campuses in Illinois, Texas, Utah, Arizona and Northern Virginia, and has further sites in development in Maryland, Ohio, Illinois and Virginia. [1] [5]
Conflicts. Groundbreaking: Data Center Frontier says Sept. 10, 2026, while the DCD article (Sept. 17) and the Daily Signal column (Sept. 27) report the announcement a few days later. Frontier's gas plant: 2.7 GW in DCD and Baxtel, 2.55 GW in Data Center Frontier. Approval timing: the Feb. 8 Post-Gazette reprint says the council approved the plan 'last month'; Data Center Frontier dates the borough's conditional-use approval to March 31, 2026. These may be different approvals, and the sources do not say. Status: DCD and Baxtel say construction has begun, while Cleanview lists the campus as planned. Investment and jobs are company or reporter figures; the Daily Signal piece is an opinion column.
Background
The Bruce Mansfield plant had a 2.49 GW coal capacity and operated from 1976 until 2019. The Daily Signal column, an opinion piece, describes the site as about 660 acres with riverfront, barge terminals and rail access, and says the borough has about 154 residents.
Shippingport is not the only big project in the area. Data Center Frontier compares it with the Homer City Energy Campus, about 60 miles east, which is building a large gas plant and a proposed AWS campus. Its point is that Phoenix is data-center-led with on-site power, while Homer City is power-led.
In February 2026 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reprinted by Three Mile Island Alert, reported that Aligned had not yet bought the land from Frontier and that the borough's solicitor expected a serious but not final project. The land purchase is reported later, in July 2026.
Timeline
- 2019 — Bruce Mansfield coal plant shuts down.
- 2022 — Frontier Group buys the site and renames it the Shippingport Industrial Park.
- Feb. 2026 — Post-Gazette reports Aligned's plan but says the land is not yet bought.
- Mar. 31, 2026 — Shippingport Borough approves Aligned's conditional-use application (per Data Center Frontier).
- July 2026 — Aligned reportedly buys about 650.9 acres for about $223 million.
- Sept. 10, 2026 — Formal groundbreaking on Project Phoenix (per Data Center Frontier).
- Sept. 17, 2026 — DCD reports the groundbreaking.
What this page does not establish
- Power draw of each facility and whether 2 GW is contracted IT load; Data Center Frontier says Aligned has not characterized the 2 GW figure as critical IT load.
- Fuel-cell capacity, gas supply and the air permits behind the on-site power.
- The customer, if any; Aligned has told local officials it is still seeking one.
- Water supply details beyond the closed-loop cooling statement.
- The tax and incentive terms, which none of these sources report.
What to check next
- Shippingport Borough conditional-use decision and any amendments.
- Pennsylvania DEP air permits for the fuel cells and gas supply.
- Beaver County recorder land records for the July 2026 land purchase.
- Aligned's own groundbreaking release, when it can be read in full.
Frequently asked questions
How big is Project Phoenix?
Aligned describes it as a 2 GW campus of three data center facilities in Shippingport, Pennsylvania. Data Center Frontier reports about $10 billion of investment and local documents describe up to about 2 million square feet.
Will Project Phoenix use the electric grid?
No, according to Aligned. The company says the campus will use dedicated on-site power, which Data Center Frontier describes as natural gas fuel-cell generation.
When did construction start?
Data Center Frontier reports a formal groundbreaking on Sept. 10, 2026. DCD reported the groundbreaking on Sept. 17, 2026. Cleanview still lists the project as planned.
How many jobs will it create?
Aligned estimates about 3,000 construction jobs and 640 full-time operations jobs, as reported by Data Center Frontier. These are company estimates.
Where is the site?
It is in Shippingport Industrial Park in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on land that was part of the former Bruce Mansfield coal plant, about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.