- Meta will invest more than $9.1 billion to build its first Canadian AI data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta.
- The 932-megawatt facility will use dedicated natural gas power and closed-loop cooling while Meta commits $42 million to local infrastructure.
Meta will invest more than $9.1 billion (€8.4 billion) to build an artificial intelligence data centre in Sturgeon County, Alberta, marking its largest data centre investment outside the United States.
The Facebook and Instagram parent company said the facility will become its first AI-focused data centre in Canada. Meta will power the site through a dedicated natural gas-fired electricity plant developed by a consortium that includes Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline.
Alberta Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish described the project as “a big deal for Alberta,” citing the province’s regulatory framework for attracting major data centre investments.
Alberta has actively pursued hyperscale data centre projects as companies expand computing infrastructure to meet growing artificial intelligence demand. However, the province faces electricity supply constraints that could limit the development of several large AI facilities.
Meta’s dedicated power arrangement responds to those grid limitations. The company will use electricity from the planned 932-megawatt Greenlight Electricity Centre in Sturgeon County, which will support the data centre’s operations.
Pembina Pipeline, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management announced plans to proceed with the power project before Meta confirmed itself as the facility’s customer.
The Greenlight Electricity Centre will use natural gas generation and should begin operations in the second half of 2030. The arrangement allows Meta to secure dedicated electricity capacity while reducing its reliance on Alberta’s broader power grid.
Meta also plans to address concerns over the water requirements of large AI data centres. The company said the facility will use a closed-loop cooling system that will not draw water from surrounding sources.
Alongside the data centre investment, Meta will spend $42 million on local infrastructure. The funding will support projects including roads and water systems in the surrounding community.
The project comes as governments and technology companies face growing scrutiny over the electricity and water requirements of AI infrastructure. Alberta’s approach prioritises data centre developments that can secure or generate their own power as demand places additional pressure on the provincial electricity system.
The partnership between Meta, Pembina Pipeline, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management therefore links AI infrastructure investment with dedicated power generation and local infrastructure development.