Meta Platforms Inc. is moving forward with its $13-billion-plus data centre project in Sturgeon County, Alberta, with plans to begin operations before the dedicated power plant designed to serve the facility is completed. The tech giant expects the massive, gigawatt-scale development to come online within the next two to three years, while the adjacent Greenlight Electricity Centre is not projected to be operational for another four years. To bridge this gap, Meta has secured rights to connect to the Alberta electrical grid and may enter into interim supply agreements with other providers.
The project, which represents one of the largest private-sector investments in Canadian history, is set to become Meta's largest data centre outside of the United States. Designed to support the company's expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure, the facility will eventually be powered by the $4.6-billion Greenlight Electricity Centre, a natural gas-fired plant developed by a consortium including Pembina Pipeline Corp., Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, and Kineticor Asset Management.
Construction of the data centre is expected to support more than 3,000 jobs at its peak, with approximately 300 permanent operational roles once the site is fully functional. Meta has committed to funding the necessary grid infrastructure and has pledged to match the facility's total electricity consumption with clean and renewable energy sources. The company also plans to invest roughly $60 million in local infrastructure improvements, including road and water system upgrades.
While the project has been welcomed by provincial officials as a significant economic driver, it has also drawn scrutiny regarding its environmental footprint and energy demands. The facility will utilize a closed-loop liquid cooling system to minimize water usage, a design choice intended to mitigate concerns about local resource consumption. As development continues, Meta remains focused on scaling the site to meet the compute requirements for its global platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.