Utility Tariff Analysis · Updated September 2026

Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Alabama

September 18, 2026 6 min read Strategic Crypto Reserve Data Center Infrastructure

Customers larger than 30 MW can be required by Alabama Power to take service under a special contract under the modified Rate BTAL (Business Time Advantage – Large), approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission on January 7, 2025. Special contracts can include minimum billing demand, financial assurance and exit-fee terms.

Alabama at a glance: industrial power about 7.6¢/kWh (EIA-based, indexed to April 2026) · grid queue about 30 months · data center equipment tax exemption: available. Indicative figures from the SCR AI Build Configurator v1.4.0.

The Tariff Explained Model a Alabama Build Free
Alabama AI data center power map: Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL large-load tariff

Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL

AL

Alabama Power (Southern Company)

U-5024

Regulatory docket / filing reference

Customers larger than 30 MW

Who the tariff applies to

Customers larger than 30 MW can be required by Alabama Power to take service under a special contract under the modified Rate BTAL (Business Time Advantage – Large), approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission on January 7, 2025. Special contracts can include minimum billing demand, financial assurance and exit-fee terms.

Also active in Alabama: Alabama's large-load pipeline includes a $1.5 billion Meta data center in Montgomery County and, through the Tennessee Valley Authority, a Google data center expansion in Jackson County backed by up to 50 MW of advanced nuclear generation.

Alabama at a glance: large-load tariff threshold, docket and who it applies to

Named Projects Already Underway

CustomerLocationDetails
MetaMontgomery, AL$1.5 billion data center project
Google (via TVA)Jackson County, AL$1.5 billion data center expansion, with new generation including up to 50 MW of advanced nuclear

Figures compiled from the Edison Electric Institute's "Large Load Projects and Tariffs" (September 2026) member-company summary and public regulatory filings. Confirm current tariff terms directly with Alabama Power (Southern Company) and the relevant state public utility commission before relying on any figure for a capital decision.

Weighing Alabama against another state or a Canadian province with a different rate and interconnection picture entirely? Run both sides of the comparison through our licensed AI data center cost configurator — it applies each jurisdiction's actual power rate, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules to the same seven build configurations.

Named data center projects underway in Alabama Named Projects Already Underway: Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Alabama

Model This State on Your Own Site

Every figure above comes from the same power-cost and tariff dataset behind the SCR AI Build Configurator — a licensed, embeddable widget that models seven data center build configurations against all nine Canadian provinces and all 50 US states plus DC, returning capital expenditure by line item, energy cost, revenue by commercial structure, EBITDA and payback.

LicencePrice (CAD)Who it suits
Standard$4,000 / domain / yearAdvisors who need three lease-model configurations and a clipboard summary
Pro$10,000 / domain / yearConsultants who send CSV deliverables to clients and want all seven configurations
EnterpriseFrom $25,000 / year, up to 3 domainsDevelopers and EPC firms who want the model on their own cost basis with attribution removed

Not ready for an annual licence? A one-time Site Screening Report ($950, one site) runs the same model for a single build without embedding anything.

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Model a Alabama data center build in the SCR AI Build Configurator: CapEx, power cost, EBITDA and payback Model This State on Your Own Site: Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Alabama

Compare Alabama With Nearby States

Large-load rules change sharply at state lines. See how the neighbouring utilities handle data center and high-density loads before you shortlist a site.

Georgia

Georgia Power 100 MW rule
Tennessee

TVA capacity charge (5 MW)
Mississippi

Mississippi Rule 27 contracts
Florida

FPL LLCS (50 MW, 85%)
All 50 State Tariffs Data Center Cost Calculator AI Build Configurations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL?

Customers larger than 30 MW can be required by Alabama Power to take service under a special contract under the modified Rate BTAL (Business Time Advantage – Large), approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission on January 7, 2025. Special contracts can include minimum billing demand, financial assurance and exit-fee terms.

Why did Alabama Power (Southern Company) introduce this large-load structure?

To ensure the cost of new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure built to serve very large customers, chiefly hyperscale data centers, is paid for by those customers rather than spread across the general rate base of residential and small commercial ratepayers.

What large data center projects are already active in Alabama?

Alabama's large-load pipeline includes a $1.5 billion Meta data center in Montgomery County and, through the Tennessee Valley Authority, a Google data center expansion in Jackson County backed by up to 50 MW of advanced nuclear generation.

Does this tariff replace Alabama's standard commercial and industrial rates?

No. Alabama Power's Modified Rate BTAL sits above Alabama Power (Southern Company)'s standard commercial and industrial rate schedules and applies specifically to customers that meet or exceed the large-load threshold described above. Smaller commercial and industrial loads continue to be billed under existing rate schedules.

How can I model a Alabama data center build against this tariff and other states?

The SCR AI Build Configurator applies Alabama's power cost, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules alongside all other US states and Canadian provinces, so a Alabama scenario can be compared line-by-line against any alternative site.