Meta has commenced construction on its first 1GW data centre in Canada, selecting Sturgeon County, Alberta as the location, involving an investment of more than C$13bn ($9.1bn).
The development marks Meta’s entry into the Canadian data centre landscape and becomes its 33rd data centre globally. It is designed to support AI workloads.
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The company expects to employ over 3,000 workers at peak construction phase. Once operational, the site is projected to create more than 300 permanent positions.
Meta announced plans to allocate approximately C$60m for local infrastructure enhancements, including improvements to road and water systems, and intends to launch its Data Center Community Action Grants programme in the region to provide funding to local nonprofits.
Meta will cover the full electricity costs for the new facility, funding both new and upgraded energy infrastructure to ensure consumers are not adversely affected.
The company collaborated with Greenlight Limited Partnership, Altalink, Capital Power, and the Alberta Electric System Operator to coordinate energy requirements for the centre.
According to Meta, full funding of new generation and grid infrastructure will support both the data centre and broader grid reliability across Alberta.
Capital Power has entered into a long-term energy supply agreement with Meta for 250MW of capacity and energy for the Sturgeon County data centre.
The agreement, which spans over ten years, is expected to go into service in the second half of 2028.
Meta stated that the centre will match its electricity use with 100% clean and renewable energy. Plans for the facility include the use of a closed-loop, liquid-cooled system with dry cooling, which will result in no operational water use in the cooling system.
Water use at the site will be limited to domestic requirements, fire safety, and equipment maintenance, with the company covering all associated costs.
Meta has a stated goal of becoming water positive by 2030 and says it regularly discloses water and energy usage for all facilities.
