STURGEON COUNTY, ALBERTA — Meta is “set to invest C$13 billion in Alberta to build its first Canadian AI data centre, expanding global computing capacity.”
Meta has “announced plans to build its first data centre in Canada, committing C$13 billion (approximately $9.17 billion) to a massive artificial intelligence facility in central Alberta as the technology giant accelerates efforts to expand its global AI computing infrastructure.” The company said on Wednesday that “the one-gigawatt data centre, with the capacity to scale up to 1.8 gigawatts, will be located in Sturgeon County, Alberta.” The facility “will become Meta’s 33rd data centre worldwide and marks the company’s first such investment in Canada.”
The announcement was made in Calgary by “Meta executives alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other provincial officials, who have spent years courting major Silicon Valley technology firms in a bid to diversify Alberta’s economy and attract large-scale investments beyond its traditional oil and gas sector.”
Meta has “significantly expanded its investment in artificial intelligence in recent months, committing hundreds of billions of dollars to build AI infrastructure, particularly in the United States, to meet surging demand for computing power.” Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, said “the Meta project is expected to pave the way for additional large-scale data centre developments across the province.” “This is the first of its kind, the first of its size, the first of its scale, but it won’t be the last,” Glubish said.
The province has emerged as “an attractive destination for AI infrastructure due to its abundant natural gas reserves, relatively low energy costs compared to the United States, and cold climate, which helps reduce the cost of cooling large-scale computing facilities.” According to Alberta officials, “several other gigawatt-scale data centre proposals are currently at different stages of development.”
Meta said “the Alberta facility will consume roughly the same amount of electricity as 800,000 homes.” To support the project, “the company pledged to fully finance new electricity generation and grid infrastructure required for the site.” Gary Demasi, Meta’s Vice President for Data Centre Development, said “the company would offset its electricity consumption by investing in clean and renewable energy projects.” He also noted that “the facility will employ a closed-loop liquid cooling system designed to minimise water consumption.” “The data centre will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system,” Demasi said, adding that “its overall water use will be lower than that of a typical golf course.”
To power the facility, “Meta has entered a long-term tolling agreement with Alberta-based Pembina Pipeline, which recently approved construction of its Greenlight Electricity Centre, a natural gas-fired power generation plant in Sturgeon County scheduled to begin operations in late 2030.” Until that facility becomes operational, “Alberta-based Capital Power will supply 250 megawatts of electricity to the data centre from its existing fleet of natural gas-fired power plants.” Pembina estimates “the project will require approximately 150 million cubic feet of natural gas per day, creating additional demand for Western Canada’s natural gas producers.”
The investment comes shortly after “the Canadian government unveiled a national artificial intelligence strategy encouraging the expansion of data centres, citing the country’s largely clean electricity grid powered by renewable and low-emission energy sources.” However, “Alberta differs from much of Canada because around 60% of its electricity is generated from natural gas, making the province’s electricity grid significantly more carbon-intensive than the national average.”
The project has already drawn criticism from environmental groups, which “argue that expanding large AI data centres could increase greenhouse gas emissions and place additional strain on natural resources.” Keith Stewart of Greenpeace Canada called for “stricter regulation before more large-scale AI infrastructure is approved.” “We need a moratorium on mega-data centers until we have legislated environmental and human rights protections on AI,” Stewart said.