TECfusions Keystone Connect (former Alcoa research campus)
Also called: Keystone Connect, TechFusion
TECfusions bought the old Alcoa research campus in Upper Burrell and plans a data center campus that could use up to 3 gigawatts of power. One building is already running. The township has paused new approvals while it writes rules, and residents have sued over how it was approved.
Where things stand: First part (Building J) has run since June 2026. The rest of the 3 gigawatt campus is not built. The township paused new data center approvals until about November 2, 2026, and a court appeal challenges the township's approval.
🕒 Latest update (Oct 4, 2026): Draft ordinance would require 500-foot setbacks from property lines, 1,000 feet from residential zones, a 75-decibel noise cap, and that data centers supply their own power. Residents also want rules for power plants.
Upper Burrell Township Board of Supervisors. Anyone can come and speak.
What we know
- 📍 WhereFormer Alcoa / Arconic research and development campus, Upper Burrell, Westmoreland County
- 🏢 CompanyTECfusions
- 🌳 Size1,395 acres
- ⚡ Power it needs3,000 megawatts (about as much as 2,400,000 homes)
- 🔌 Where the power comes fromGas power made on site (possibly from gas wells on the property) plus the utility grid; company plans to sell extra power to the grid
- 💸 Tax breaksGot a $2 million state RACP grant (reported January 2025).
❓ Still unanswered
Nobody has answered these in public yet. Can you help find out?
- How many buildings and how much power will be built in each phase? 🙋 I'll find out
- Where will cooling water come from and how much per day? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will a gas power plant be built on site, and has DEP received an air permit application? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will new high-voltage power lines be needed? 🙋 I'll find out
- Was a secret deal (NDA) signed with the township? 🙋 I'll find out
- What will the final data center ordinance require for noise and setbacks? 🙋 I'll find out
- What is the outcome of the court appeal? 🙋 I'll find out
- Will the township's Community Benefits Agreement with TECfusions be public, and what will it include? 🙋 I'll find out
What happened so far
- Dec 2, 2024TECfusions closed on the former Alcoa campus land.
- Jan 14, 2025TECfusions announced a 3 gigawatt campus on about 1,395 acres over six years.
- May 2026Township passed a 180-day pause (moratorium) on new data center plans. It does not cover permits already given for Building J.
- Aug 28, 2026TECfusions announced the Keystone Connect data center has been operating since June.
- Sept 3, 2026Residents and the group Protect PT have a land use appeal in Westmoreland County court saying the township skipped a zoning hearing board step.
- Sept 18, 2026Township posted a revised draft data center ordinance.
- Oct 4, 2026Draft ordinance would require 500-foot setbacks from property lines, 1,000 feet from residential zones, a 75-decibel noise cap, and that data centers supply their own power. Residents also want rules for power plants.
Local votes and rules
✅ Approved
Upper Burrell supervisors approved a land development plan for TECfusions' Building J at the former Alcoa Technical Center, even with the data center pause in place. The pause did not cover this building, which was already permitted and running.
📜 Data center rules
Upper Burrell's planning commission approved a draft data center zoning ordinance in July 2026, and a newer draft was set for review in September. Drafts would keep data centers in industrial areas and away from homes.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers
Upper Burrell supervisors voted 3-0 to start writing a fix to the zoning law, which pauses new data center applications for 180 days. The pause does not stop work already permitted in one building at the former Alcoa Technical Center, where TECfusions is building a large data center campus.
⚖️ Court case
Two nearby residents and the group Protect PT sued over the township's approval of the TECfusions land development plan. They argue the company should have first gotten a special exception from the zoning hearing board.
Drag the slider to compare the land before and now.
Where this comes from
- Upper Burrell data center transparency backlash · PublicSource · Sept 3, 2026
- Westmoreland residents push back as data center fight heats up · Hoodline · July 31, 2026
- TECfusions to repurpose former Pennsylvania Alcoa plant as a data center site · Lightwave · Jan 14, 2025
- Upper Burrell Township website (meetings, draft ordinance) · Upper Burrell Township · Oct 6, 2026
- In Upper Burrell, where fracking and AI industries converge, residents look to regulate data centers · WESA / Allegheny Front · Oct 4, 2026
- PA DEP Data Center Permit Tracker · Pennsylvania DEP · Oct 6, 2026
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