Tennessee Valley Authority Economic Development
News
Sixteenth site selected for data center development
May 11, 2011 – A Florence, Ala., site has attributes that make it a prime candidate for data center development, says an economic development survey sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The Florence Advantage Site, located on Parkway Drive in the Florence-Lauderdale Industrial Park, is the latest of 16 locations in the Tennessee Valley region identified as particularly favorable for building and operating a data center facility.
Data centers house computer systems and components, such as telecommunications and storage systems, used by Internet search engines and other high-tech industries. Criteria for selection of the sites include accessibility, strong telecommunications infrastructure and availability of reliable electric power.
Fifteen sites had previously been identified by Chicago-based Deloitte Consulting as prime candidates for data center development. They are located in Athens, Tenn.; Bristol, Tenn.; Duffield, Va.; Fayetteville, Tenn.; Grenada, Miss.; Guntersville, Ala.; Hartselle, Ala.; Jackson, Tenn.; Lenoir City, Tenn.; Maryville, Tenn.; Morristown, Tenn.; Murfreesboro, Tenn.; Nashville, Tenn., Olive Branch, Miss.; and Tullahoma, Tenn.
“This ready-for-development designation gives our community a competitive edge when the next data center project seeks an optimal site,” said Forrest Wright, president of the Shoals Economic Development Authority. “We thank TVA for the opportunity to participate in this valuable program and our community for their diligence in reaching this milestone to compete for new businesses.”
TVA contracted with Deloitte to evaluate Valley sites. TVA is partnering with local power distributors and regional, state and community economic development leaders to begin marketing the sites as part of a data center recruitment initiative. More than 50 sites across the TVA service area have been assessed for their capacity to accommodate data centers.
“TVA’s economic development role to help communities be prepared to recruit data centers and other companies to our region is extremely important,” said John Bradley, senior vice president for TVA Economic Development. “The data center industry is growing rapidly and typically represents large investments in communities and provides good-paying job opportunities.”
For a map of the Florence location and all sites designated to date, visit TVAed.com/datacenters.