Meta to Build First Canadian Data Centre in Alberta, Drawing 970 Megawatts from Grid

Meta Platforms Inc. plans to build its first Canadian data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta, northeast of Edmonton, Cbc reported. The project is valued at more than $13 billion. Premier Danielle Smith addressed public concerns during her Saturday radio call-in show.

Callers questioned impacts on utility bills, water supplies, and decommissioning plans. Smith stated the facility would use a closed-loop water cooling system that consumes the same amount of water as a typical golf course and would not affect nearby homes because of its remote location. The first phase of the data centre will draw 970 megawatts from the Alberta grid.

The province's grid operator has reserved 1,200 megawatts of capacity for large-load projects such as data centres through 2028. Surplus energy will supply the centre until the Greenlight Electricity Centre, a $4.6-billion natural gas-fired plant, begins generating 932 megawatts in the second half of 2030. Meta has committed to spending $60 million on local roads and water systems.

Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, and Kineticor Asset Management are developing the power plant, which holds permits to eventually double its output. Alberta aims to have $100 billion in data centres under construction by the end of the decade. Smith said the province would require chemical or mechanical recycling of data-centre components upon decommissioning.

Alberta has maintained an electronic-waste recycling program for more than 20 years.