Upper Burrell Adopts Data Center Ordinance for TECfusions Campus

TECfusions' Keystone Connect, a 500,000-square-foot data center campus, is under construction at the former Alcoa/Arconic Technical Center in Upper Burrell Township, Westmoreland County. The final phase of construction is expected to be complete in 2031, according to a company spokesperson.

TECfusions closed on the property, a vacant portion of the Arconic campus, on Dec. 2, 2024. The campus totals about 1,400 acres and is planned for up to 3 GW of capacity at full build-out, with 12 MW immediately available. Building J is already live and providing computational power to an unnamed tenant, according to PublicSource. The project received a $2 million grant through Pennsylvania's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

The campus will run on on-site natural gas generation with dual utility and microgrid capabilities.

Upper Burrell Township established a 180-day moratorium on new data center development in May 2026. The pause did not cover building permits the township had already granted TECfusions for work on Building J, and supervisors approved a land development plan for electrical and mechanical upgrades there on Aug. 5, 2026. Supervisors then voted 3-0 on Oct. 22, 2026, to adopt an ordinance making data centers a conditional use, requiring new or expanded buildings to sit at least 1,000 feet from homes and capping noise at 75 decibels at the property line. Protect PT and two Upper Burrell residents filed a land use appeal against the township and its board of supervisors on Aug. 25, 2026.

A notice of commencement for TECfusions New Kensington Phase 1 was filed Feb. 26, 2026, naming TECfusions Keystone LLC as owner and P.J. Dick Incorporated as contractor under permit UB-0526 at 100 Technical Drive, New Kensington.