Meta investing $13B in massive new data centre north of Edmonton

Meta plans to build its first Canadian data centre in Alberta, announcing a more than $13 billion investment into the province on Wednesday.

The province says the Sturgeon Data Centre, to be located in Sturgeon County just north of Edmonton, is expected to generate more than 3,000 construction jobs and support 300 permanent positions once operational.

“Artificial intelligence is transforming the global economy, and Alberta is making sure we lead rather than follow,” says Premier Danielle Smith. “We created the right conditions to attract world-leading investments while protecting the interests of Albertans.”

The government says the project will deliver roughly $250 million each year in provincial benefits through royalties, taxes, levies and fees. Meta will also contribute $60 million toward local road and water infrastructure.

“We believe that the success of a data centre is only possible when the community itself succeeds along with it. More than that, we want Sturgeon County and Alberta to thrive,” Gary Demasi, vice-president of data centre strategy and development at Meta, told a news conference in Calgary. 

“We look forward to putting down roots in this community and building a strong and positive partnership for many years to come.”

The development will operate under Alberta’s “bring your own power” rules for large AI data centres, which require companies to supply their own electricity, pay for related infrastructure and meet strict environmental and water‑use standards. Meta plans to use a mix of grid power and new on‑site natural‑gas generation to reduce pressure on Alberta’s electricity system and improve reliability.

The province says this model, combined with the new Project Greenlight 970‑megawatt natural‑gas facility, could lower transmission costs on Albertans’ power bills by up to six per cent.

Meta said its project is to feature a closed-loop water cooling system, so it won’t draw water from the surrounding area. It also said it plans to spend $60 million to improve local infrastructure, such as roads and water systems. 

“Our data centre will use a water-efficient closed-loop, liquid-cooled system with dry cooling, which means there is no operational water use in the cooling system,” Meta wrote in a Facebook post, which links to the project’s website and a Meta website outlining its corporate plans for data centres worldwide. 

“This means our annual operational water use is projected to be less than one typical golf course or a 50-acre canola farm in the region.”

Sturgeon County Mayor Alanna Hnatiw says the community welcomes the project and is excited to work with Meta.

“We facilitate projects that bring value to our region through job creation, long-term tax revenue, environmental stewardship, and infrastructure improvements that all of us benefit from,” says Hnatiw. “We’re excited to work with our new neighbours as we continue to make that vision a reality.”

Meta’s announcement is a “big deal for Alberta,” Glubish said Wednesday. 

“We didn’t do it by accident. We did it by design. We did it in a way that is going to benefit Albertans,” he said.

“We did not want to be first and rush in blindly. We wanted to be smartest to ensure that we had a fair, reasonable, clear regulatory framework so that anybody who wants to build a data centre here knows exactly what to expect, exactly what they need to do, and every Albertan can be confident that their interests are protected and that they will benefit from this investment.”

-With files from the Canadian Press