Markley data center expansion in Lowell
Also called: Markley Lowell, Lowell Sacred Heart data center, former Prince pasta plant
Markley has run a 352,000-square-foot data center in an old pasta factory in Lowell since 2015. It is expanding to 27 diesel backup generators and 16 cooling towers, close to homes. Neighbors say the noise and pollution hurt them and are suing; a judge paused part of the work in August 2026.
Where things stand: Markley is adding backup diesel generators and cooling towers at its running data center. In Aug 2026 a judge paused the 4 generators not yet installed while residents' lawsuit goes on.
🕒 Latest update (Aug 10, 2026): A judge paused the 4 generators not yet installed while the lawsuit goes on; 4 already installed may run.
What we know
- 📍 Where2 Prince Ave (former Prince pasta plant), Sacred Heart and Back Central neighborhoods, Lowell, Middlesex County
- 🏢 CompanyMarkley Group
- 👤 Built forMarkley Group (shared data center for many customers)
- 🌳 Size14 acres
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromGrid power, with diesel backup generators on site.
- ❄️ Cooling16 cooling towers in the expansion plan
- 🛢️ Diesel generators27
- 💸 Tax breaksCity Council approved a tax deal and a 20-year personal property tax break, estimated to save Markley $77 million.
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How many megawatts will the data center use after the expansion? 🙋 I'll find out
- How much water do the cooling towers use per day? 🙋 I'll find out
- When will the court decide the residents' lawsuit? 🙋 I'll find out
- What exactly does Markley's July 2026 agreement with the city allow? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- July 2015Lowell Planning Board approved a data center in the empty Prince pasta factory.
- April 28, 2025Markley asked the state environment agency (MassDEP) to approve an air plan for more diesel generators and cooling towers.
- July 3, 2025MassDEP approved the air plan.
- July 24, 2025Residents appealed the approval.
- March 10, 2026City Council unanimously passed a one-year pause on data center building and expansion.
- April 2026Residents sued MassDEP over the air plan in Middlesex Superior Court.
- July 2026Markley and the city reached an agreement letting expansion plans made before the pause go ahead.
- July 10, 2026MassDEP's commissioner denied the residents' appeal.
- Aug 10, 2026A judge paused the 4 generators not yet installed while the lawsuit goes on; 4 already installed may run.
Local votes and rules
⚖️ Court case
Two companies owned by Markley's CEO sued Lowell over its data center pause. In July 2026 news reports said both sides agreed to drop the case. GBH reports the deal lets Markley go ahead with expansion plans it had before the pause.
⚖️ Court case
Lowell residents sued the state environment agency (MassDEP) over the air permit for Markley's data center expansion, which allows 27 diesel backup generators and 16 cooling towers. On Aug. 10, 2026, a judge paused the installation of 4 new generators while the case goes on. The generators already installed can keep running.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
The City Council voted 10-0 to pause new data centers and the expansion of existing ones for about one year. It can be extended once by 180 days. It was the first data center pause in Massachusetts. Work already underway at the Markley data center was allowed to go on.
An aerial photo of the area.
Where this comes from
- Data Center (Lowell) case page · Yale Law School Environmental Justice Law and Advocacy Clinic · Oct 8, 2026
- In one Mass. city, the fight over a data center has hit a crisis point · GBH News · July 29, 2026
- Court orders Markley to pause Lowell data center expansion · Conservation Law Foundation · Aug 10, 2026
- Court rules against Markley and DEP on backup generators · Inside Lowell · Aug 10, 2026
- Proposed data centers subjected to local approvals under Gov. Healey's order · WBUR · Sept 8, 2026
- Can Massachusetts avoid data center distress seen in other states? · BINJ · April 16, 2026
- Markley: Lowell · Baxtel · Oct 8, 2026
- Census geocoder: 2 Prince Ave · US Census Bureau · Oct 8, 2026
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