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Sturgeon Data Centre

Meta has announced a CA$13-billion-plus, 1 GW data centre in Alberta's Industrial Heartland. Municipal approvals are in effect and site preparation has begun; the public record reviewed by ADCW does not yet confirm that main facility construction is underway.

Meta Platforms, Inc.56111 Range Road 223, Alberta Industrial HeartlandMap precision: Approximate area
How to read this profilePublic recordProponent statementProponent projectionADCW context

Project facts

Core scale, approval, employment and schedule information, labelled by the type of evidence available.

Proponent statement

Announced capacity

1 GW

Meta's announced data-centre capacity.

Sources [3]
Proponent statement

Investment

More than CA$13 billion

Company-announced project investment.

Sources [3]
ADCW context

Federal funding

None publicly identified

ADCW found no project-specific federal grant, loan or contribution in the reviewed sources. Meta says it is fully funding the new generation and grid infrastructure.

Sources [3], [2]
Public record

Municipal permit

DP-26-0028

Issued June 16, 2026; effective July 7, 2026.

Sources [1]
Proponent projection

Employment

~3,000 peak construction; 300+ operational

Company projections, not observed job counts.

Sources [3], [4]
ADCW context

Target operation

2028–2029

Capital Power expects the initial 250 MW load in the second half of 2028; Sturgeon County lists the data centre as operational in 2029.

Sources [6], [2]
Proponent statement

General contractor

Frost Collective

A joint venture of Clark Builders and PCL Construction.

Sources [4], [5]

Energy and emissions

Supply agreements and the associated Greenlight power plant are tracked separately from Meta's annual clean-energy matching commitment.

Important distinction: The dedicated Greenlight facility is natural-gas generation. Meta's separate promise to match annual electricity use with clean and renewable energy does not make the physical supply emissions-free at every hour.
Public record

Initial grid supply

250 MW

Capital Power disclosed an energy-supply agreement lasting more than 10 years, with service anticipated in the second half of 2028.

Sources [6]
Public record

Dedicated gas generation

932 MW

Greenlight's committed first phase is a combined-cycle natural-gas plant expected in service in the second half of 2030.

Sources [7], [8]
Public record

Permitted expansion

Up to 1,864 MW

The AUC record describes two stages and full development in 2031.

Sources [7]
Proponent projection

Natural-gas demand

Approximately 150 million cubic feet/day

Pembina's disclosed requirement for the current 932 MW Greenlight project.

Sources [8]
Proponent projection

Full-build GHG estimate

5.677 million tonnes CO₂e/year

Greenlight's federal filing estimate for the maximum 1,864 MW plant without carbon capture. It is not an estimate for only the current 932 MW phase.

Sources [9]
ADCW context

Clean-energy matching

100% annual matching promised

Meta says it will add or contract enough clean energy to match annual electricity use. This accounting commitment does not mean the facility's physical electricity supply is fossil-free at all times.

Sources [3], [8]

Water

The cooling design and expected use figures are forward-looking company statements until measured operations data is published.

Proponent projection

Cooling design

Closed-loop liquid cooling with dry cooling

Meta says the cooling system will require no operational water. This is a design claim; measured use will not exist until operations begin.

Sources [3], [4]
Proponent statement

Other on-site use

Still required

Meta identifies construction, facility/domestic use, fire protection and equipment maintenance as continuing water demands.

Sources [3], [4]
Proponent statement

Public infrastructure

Approximately CA$60 million

Meta says this includes roads and water infrastructure; an itemized public breakdown was not found in the reviewed sources.

Sources [3]

Approval and public process

Municipal zoning and permits establish what was approved and how the public could participate.

Public record

Land-use approval

Permitted use in Heavy Industrial zoning

The master site development permit establishes the framework for a major data-processing facility across the listed parcels.

Sources [1]
Public record

Public notice and appeal

Notice posted June 16; deadline July 7, 2026

Because this was a permitted-use approval, public appeal rights were narrower than for a discretionary use or variance.

Sources [1]
Public record

Project open house

Not required by the County

Sturgeon County states that data centres are permitted in the applicable industrial zone and a public open house is not required for approval.

Sources [2]

Timeline

Observed decisions and future dates are kept distinct; projected milestones may change.

  1. Public record

    Sturgeon County issued a grading permit for site preparation. [2]

  2. Public record

    Master site development permit DP-26-0028 issued. [1]

  3. Public record

    AUC issued its approval decision for the associated Greenlight Electricity Centre. [7]

  4. Public record

    Municipal development permit became effective after the notification period. [1]

  5. Proponent statement

    Meta publicly announced the Sturgeon Data Centre. [3]

  6. Proponent projection

    Main data-centre construction expected to begin, according to Sturgeon County's published timeline. [2]

  7. Proponent projection

    Capital Power expects the initial 250 MW data-centre load to enter service. [6]

  8. Proponent projection

    Sturgeon County expects the data centre to be operational. [2]

  9. Proponent projection

    Committed 932 MW Greenlight gas-generation phase expected in service. [8]

What we still don't know

Some details have not been made public or remain unresolved. We keep those gaps visible and update them when reliable information becomes available.

  • The approved data-centre building area, final campus footprint and phased build schedule were not disclosed in the public records reviewed.
  • Expected annual facility electricity consumption has not been publicly quantified beyond the announced 1 GW capacity and supply agreements.
  • Expected annual water withdrawal and wastewater volumes have not been published; Meta promises annual disclosure after operations begin.
  • A project-specific estimate of operational greenhouse-gas emissions has not been published. The available 5.677 Mt CO₂e/year estimate is for Greenlight's maximum 1,864 MW power-plant buildout.
  • The projects Meta will use for its clean-energy matching commitment have not yet been identified publicly.
  • An itemized breakdown of the CA$60 million in local infrastructure spending and expected municipal tax revenue was not found in the reviewed sources. General tax treatment and any future public support have not been exhaustively confirmed.
  • The public sources give two early service milestones: Capital Power's second-half 2028 load date and Sturgeon County's 2029 operational date. The relationship between those milestones is not yet explained.

Source record

Primary and official sources reviewed for this profile. Company disclosures support what the company said, not independent verification of future outcomes.

  1. Development permit approval notice for 56111 Rge Rd 223

    Sturgeon County · Municipal record · 2026-06-16

  2. Data Centre Development

    Sturgeon County · Municipal record · Updated through July 2026

  3. Breaking Ground on Meta's First Data Center in Canada

    Meta · Company disclosure · 2026-07-08

  4. Meta Sturgeon Data Centre fact sheet

    Meta / Sturgeon County · Company disclosure · 2026-07

  5. Sturgeon Data Centre project site

    Sturgeon Data Centre · Company disclosure · Accessed 2026-07-22

  7. Greenlight Electricity Centre: Proceeding 30261

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator · Decision issued 2026-06-25

  8. Greenlight Electricity Centre final investment decision

    Pembina Pipeline Corporation · Company disclosure · 2026-07-02

  9. Greenlight Electricity Centre Initial Project Description

    Impact Assessment Agency of Canada · Federal filing · 2025-07-30

  10. Meta Data Center

    Government of Alberta Major Projects · Government database · Accessed 2026-07-22