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A proposed $2.64 billion Illinois redevelopment phase. Up to 15 new AWS buildings in Missouri. An 11-building Georgia campus. And two more projects approaching important approvals.

The next major data center construction opportunity doesn't always begin with a groundbreaking announcement.

Sometimes it starts with a county filing. A land acquisition. A utility agreement. Or a developer presenting plans for a former industrial property.

This week, we're tracking five U.S. developments where those early signals are beginning to take shape.

The projects span Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, and South Carolina. Together, they represent substantial potential work across demolition, civil construction, electrical infrastructure, mechanical systems, and data center buildings.

But there's an important distinction: none of the five projects has a newly verified open subcontractor solicitation or general contractor award.

That's precisely why they're worth following now.

The free DCCR 25 Project Tracker helps contractors follow major U.S. data center developments, locations, developers, and construction milestones.

Don't wait until a project is already under construction to start researching it.

ACCESS THE FREE DCCR 25 PROJECT TRACKER

PROJECT: Riverbend Technology Center
DEVELOPER: TerraWatt
LOCATION: Alton, Illinois
PRIORITY: HIGH — Early development

A former steel mill along the Mississippi River could become a major new data center campus.

TerraWatt is pursuing the redevelopment of approximately 381 acres at the former Alton Steel property, with a long-term concept for up to 1GW of data center capacity.

The developer envisions building the campus in 200MW phases, with estimated investment of approximately $2.64 billion per phase.

That figure is a developer projection—not committed financing or an awarded construction budget.

TerraWatt has discussed beginning demolition and site preparation in 2027, subject to approvals.

The developer held a community open house on October 27.

At the October 28 Alton City Council meeting, residents raised concerns about environmental impacts, water use, and the proposed development.

The City of Alton has indicated that the project requires formal rezoning and detailed site-plan review. No approved construction program has been confirmed.

The city has also discussed securing independent engineering, planning, and environmental expertise to review the development.

Riverbend's potential construction opportunities begin well before the first data center building.

Demolition contractors, environmental-remediation specialists, civil contractors, grading companies, and electrical infrastructure firms could all have roles if the project proceeds.

Later phases could involve major mechanical, electrical, cooling, and building construction packages.

Contractor status: No general contractor appointment or open bid package independently verified.

DCCR WATCH: Rezoning filings, environmental review, city technical-review procurement, demolition packages, and construction-team appointments.

Sources: Riverbend Technology Center | City of Alton

DEVELOPER: Amazon Web Services
LOCATION: Montgomery County, Missouri
PRIORITY: HIGH — Site development

Amazon Web Services is exploring another substantial data center campus in central Missouri.

The proposed development would cover approximately 890 acres near Danville and could include up to 15 buildings.

AWS representatives presented the concept to Montgomery County commissioners on October 22.

The potential development is separate from Amazon's existing New Florence campus.

The proposed property acquisition had not been finalized when the plans were first reported.

A campus of this scale could eventually generate substantial demand for site clearing, earthwork, road construction, foundations, utility infrastructure, electrical distribution, cooling systems, and data center building construction.

But the project remains at an early stage.

No construction manager, general contractor, or procurement schedule has been publicly confirmed for the proposed second campus.

DCCR WATCH: Property acquisition, county approvals, utility commitments, and the first construction-team announcements.

Source: Data Center Dynamics, October 2026 reporting.

PROJECT: Eatonton 379
APPLICANT: Eatonton 379, LLC
LOCATION: Putnam County, Georgia
PRIORITY: HIGH — Regional development review

A new Georgia Development of Regional Impact filing describes an ambitious data center campus along Glenwood Springs Road in Putnam County.

The proposed development includes 11 buildings across approximately 542 acres.

Its estimated electrical demand could reach 520MW.

The investment and capacity figures are applicant estimates, not awarded contracts or confirmed utility commitments.

Putnam County has extended its data center moratorium through November 17, 2026.

That creates uncertainty around the project's path to local approval.

A state regional-review filing does not independently authorize construction.

If approved, the proposed campus could create a significant pipeline of site preparation, grading, roadwork, foundations, water infrastructure, substations, electrical construction, mechanical systems, and data center buildings.

However, the ultimate developer behind the applicant entity has not been independently established.

No general contractor has been verified.

DCCR WATCH: DRI #4861, the November 17 county moratorium milestone, developer identification, utility planning, and contractor selection.

Source: Putnam County Government

PROJECT: AIB CLT1
DEVELOPER: AIB Data Centers
CUSTOMER: Nebius
LOCATION: Moore, Spartanburg County, South Carolina
PRIORITY: HIGH — Development agreement

AIB Data Centers plans to convert a former cryptocurrency-mining property into a purpose-built AI data center.

The proposed development at 389 Tyger River Industrial Drive would include two 25MW data halls serving Nebius.

AIB has identified a 65MW utility arrangement and is targeting delivery in the fourth quarter of 2027.

The reported investment is not an awarded construction contract.

Spartanburg County is scheduled to consider the proposed development agreement on November 3.

The project must also address its status under the county's data center moratorium.

The hearing represents an important potential step toward development, but approval has not yet been confirmed.

Replacing cryptocurrency-mining infrastructure with AI computing facilities could involve equipment removal, major electrical upgrades, cooling systems, data hall construction, networking, and commissioning.

The identified customer and power arrangement provide more project specificity than many early-stage proposals.

Construction financing, permits, and final contractor appointments remain outstanding.

DCCR WATCH: November 3 county hearing, final development agreement, construction financing, building permits, and GC appointment.

Source: Data Center Dynamics, October 2026 reporting.

PROJECT: Project Camellia
DEVELOPMENT ENTITY: Octans GA LLC
DEVELOPER AFFILIATION: OpenAI, as identified in reporting
LOCATION: Effingham County, Georgia
PRIORITY: HIGH — Site planning and federal permitting

Project Camellia is approaching two important regulatory milestones in coastal Georgia.

An updated site plan describes six data center buildings across a proposed development of approximately 1,347 acres.

The proposal also includes two electrical substations, cooling infrastructure, a warehouse, an operations building, and associated electrical facilities.

Earlier reporting described four buildings. The updated six-building plan reflects the newer reported site configuration.

November 3 — County site-plan review

Effingham County commissioners are scheduled to consider the project's updated site plan.

November 4 — Federal wetlands comment deadline

Separately, a federal wetlands permit application seeks authorization for impacts affecting approximately 72 acres.

The two processes are distinct. County site-plan approval would not replace any required federal wetlands authorization.

The site plan identifies potential construction needs across civil infrastructure, drainage, stormwater management, electrical substations, cooling systems, utility corridors, and large data center buildings.

The federal wetlands process could influence construction sequencing and mitigation requirements.

OpenAI's published Project Camellia FAQ states that the company is conducting a competitive process to select a partner to construct and operate the campus.

As of this research cutoff, no final construction-partner appointment has been independently verified.

The project has also established a local supplier-registration process, although registration does not establish that bidding is open.

DCCR WATCH: November 3 site-plan decision, November 4 wetlands comment deadline, construction-partner selection, and future subcontractor procurement.

Sources: Project Camellia official project information and Data Center Dynamics, October 2026 reporting.

This week's developments reveal three important patterns.

1. Industrial conversions can create early contractor opportunities.

Riverbend in Illinois and AIB in South Carolina could require substantial work to prepare existing industrial sites for modern computing infrastructure.

2. Public filings can identify projects before contractor awards.

AWS's Missouri proposal and Eatonton's Georgia DRI filing provide early visibility into potential development pipelines, even without confirmed construction teams.

3. Approvals can determine when procurement begins.

Riverbend faces rezoning and environmental review. Eatonton faces a local moratorium. AIB and Project Camellia have significant regulatory milestones approaching.

The project with the largest announced investment isn't necessarily the project closest to construction.

For contractors, the more useful signals are confirmed land control, permits, utility arrangements, financing, construction management appointments, and actual bid solicitations.

MyDataCenterScout — $99 Opportunity Brief

Looking for data center opportunities in a specific state, metro area, or trade?

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Aleria / Bitari — Wheeler, Texas

A proposed conversion of an existing cryptocurrency-mining facility into AI data center infrastructure. Preliminary engineering and procurement arrangements have been reported, but funding and final EPC scope require confirmation.

Microsoft — Pataskala, Ohio

Microsoft has acquired additional land in Licking County. No separate construction program or GC appointment has been verified for the newly acquired parcels.

AWS — Posey County, Indiana

Amazon is exploring potential development sites in southwestern Indiana. Final site selection, investment, capacity, and construction plans remain unannounced.

No new open subcontractor solicitations or confirmed general-contractor awards were independently verified for the five featured developments.

Five projects. Four states. Multiple potential construction pipelines.

From industrial demolition in Illinois to major greenfield development in Missouri and Georgia, the next generation of data center construction opportunities is beginning to take shape.

But announcements alone don't create contracts.

Approvals, financing, utility commitments, contractor appointments, and procurement decisions determine when opportunities become actionable.

That's what Data Center Contractor Report will continue tracking.

Stay informed before the next construction award.

ACCESS THE FREE DCCR 25 PROJECT TRACKER

Data Center Contractor Report | William Coit, Publisher

Research cutoff: October 31, 2026. Project descriptions, investment estimates, electrical capacity, schedules, and approvals are subject to change. The report distinguishes proposed developments from confirmed construction awards and open procurement opportunities.