Meta has announced plans to develop a data centre in Alberta, Canada, with an estimated investment of C$13 billion (approximately $9.17 billion). This facility will mark the company’s inaugural data centre in Canada and bring its total number of data centres worldwide to 33. The site will be located in Sturgeon County and is set to initially operate at a capacity of 1 gigawatt, with the potential to expand to 1.8 gigawatts as the demand for artificial intelligence computing continues to rise.

The announcement exemplifies Meta’s significant commitment to artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company is heavily investing in enhancing its computing capabilities to support advanced AI models, joining other tech giants in a competitive race to construct larger data centres that will facilitate the next generation of AI technologies.

Officials from Alberta have been actively promoting the province as an ideal location for technology investment. Alberta Technology Minister Nate Glubish noted that various large-scale data centre proposals are under consideration, highlighting the region’s proactive interest in attracting technology firms.

Power Consumption and Sustainability Efforts

A key aspect of Meta’s new data centre is its projected power consumption. The facility is expected to draw electricity equivalent to that used by approximately 800,000 homes. In response to this high energy demand, Meta plans to invest in new energy generation and modernising the electricity infrastructure instead of solely relying on existing facilities.

To meet energy needs sustainably, Meta has formed a partnership with Pembina Pipeline, which is planning to establish a natural gas-fired power plant in Sturgeon County. This facility is anticipated to commence operations later in the decade, supplying power to the data centre under a long-term contract. Until then, Capital Power will provide 250 megawatts of electricity from its current natural gas generation assets.

The company has pledged to balance its energy consumption by investing in renewable and clean energy sources. Additionally, the data centre will incorporate a closed-loop liquid cooling system that recycles coolant, aiming to minimise overall water usage. Reportedly, the centre’s total water consumption will be less than that of a standard golf course.

Environmental Concerns and Industry Scrutiny

This comes amid heightened scrutiny facing technology companies regarding their environmental practices. For instance, Amazon revealed that its global data centre operations used approximately 2.5 billion gallons of water throughout 2025, despite a reported decrease of 2 per cent in direct water usage from the previous year. The company has noted that its facilities consume an average of 0.12 litres of water for each kilowatt-hour of electricity used, which it claims is more sustainable than the industry standard.

To lessen the strain on potable water supplies, Amazon has pointed out that some of its data centres utilise treated wastewater instead of fresh water, and around 90 per cent of the time, they rely on outside air for cooling, switching to water-based cooling only during hotter periods.

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