Alcoa sells former New York smelter site for data center use

Alcoa has agreed to sell portions of its former Massena East aluminum smelter in upstate New York to an unnamed data center firm for up to $315 million, with $50 million to $65 million due at closing.

Why it matters: Another shuttered smelter is being converted into powered land for computing: the 1,600 acre site is permitted for 180MW initially and could reach 635MW in phases, underlining how grid-connected industrial land has become the asset data center developers are buying.

Data as of Single source: Datacenter Dynamics report of October 19, 2026, read in full, reporting Alcoa's third quarter results announcement and earnings call. The buyer is unnamed in Alcoa's announcement; Datacenter Dynamics reports, unconfirmed by the company, that planning filings link the site to North Country Colocation Services, an affiliate of NYDIG. That link is reported, not verified.

Alcoa has entered definitive agreements to sell portions of its former Massena East smelter site in Massena, New York, to an unnamed data center firm for up to $315 million, the company said alongside its third quarter results. Alcoa expects to receive $50 million to $65 million at closing, expected within six months, and a further $60 million to $250 million over the following seven years as data center capacity is approved and commissioned, with most proceeds in the first five years.

The 1,600 acre former Reynolds Metals site, closed in 2014, is initially permitted for 180MW and could reach 635MW in phases, executives said on the earnings call, and chief executive Bill Oplinger said two further deals from Alcoa’s portfolio of ten former smelter sites could follow quickly. Datacenter Dynamics reports, without confirmation from the buyer, that planning filings for an 88 acre, two-building project on the former campus name North Country Colocation Services, an affiliate of bitcoin mining firm NYDIG.

Alcoa sells former New York smelter site for data center use

Sources