Meta has broken ground on its first Canadian data center in Sturgeon County, Alberta, marking the company's 33rd data center globally. The AI-optimized facility, with a capacity of 1GW, represents an investment of more than CAD $13 billion, according to a company announcement.
Job creation and local infrastructure
The project is expected to create significant local employment. At peak construction, approximately 3,000 workers will be onsite, and once completed, the facility will support more than 300 operational jobs. Meta also announced it will invest approximately CAD $60 million in local infrastructure improvements, including roads and water infrastructure. Additionally, the company will launch annual Data Center Community Action Grants in the region to provide direct funding for local nonprofits.
Energy and water sustainability
Meta stated it pays the full costs of its data centers' energy use so consumers are not negatively impacted, and funds new and upgraded infrastructure. For Alberta, the company worked with Greenlight Limited Partnership, Altalink, Capital Power, and the Alberta Electric System Operator to plan for energy needs years in advance. Meta is fully funding new generation and grid infrastructure to support the Sturgeon County site, which it says will improve reliability across the entire Alberta grid and benefit all consumers. Electricity use at the facility will be matched with 100% clean and renewable energy. The data center will use a water-efficient closed-loop, liquid-cooled system with dry cooling, resulting in no operational water use in the cooling system. Water use will be limited to domestic uses, fire protection safety, and equipment maintenance. Meta pays the full costs of water and wastewater service required to support its data centers and discloses water withdrawal and energy use annually at sustainability.atmeta.com. The company has a goal to be water positive by 2030, meaning it aims to restore more water than it consumes globally where Meta has owned operations.
Company statement
"We're excited to call Sturgeon County home for our newest data center, and look forward to working with and contributing positively to the local community," Meta said in the announcement.
