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Sturgeon Data Centre

Meta has announced a CA$13-billion-plus, 1 GW data centre in Alberta's Industrial Heartland. The master site development permit is in effect, but residents are asking the Land and Property Rights Tribunal to let their appeals proceed to a full hearing. Site preparation is reported; the public record reviewed by ADCW does not yet confirm that main facility construction is underway.

Meta Platforms, Inc.
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 remains ADCW's headline figure. Clark Builders reports a different figure below.

Sources [5], [17], [18]
Proponent statement

Different capacity reported by builder

Approx. 1.6 GW

Clark Builders, a project delivery partner, reports this compute capacity. The sources do not explain how it relates to Meta's 1 GW announcement. A larger build-out is possible, but not confirmed.

Sources [18], [17]
Proponent statement

Project size reported by builder

2.9 million sq. ft.

Clark Builders lists this project size. It does not establish the approved building area or the final campus footprint.

Sources [18], [3]
Proponent statement

Investment

More than CA$13 billion

Company-announced project investment.

Sources [5]
Proponent statement

Associated power-plant cost

Approx. CA$4.0 billion capital cost

Greenlight reports an approximately CA$4.6 billion total project cost after including CA$0.6 billion in interest during construction and other financing costs.

Sources [13]
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 [5], [4]
Public record

Municipal permit

DP-26-0028

Issued June 16, 2026; effective July 7, 2026. The permit is now the subject of a preliminary appeal proceeding.

Sources [3], [1]
Public record

Master-permit area

Approx. 1,760 acres

The appellants' September 15, 2026 filing describes the master permit as covering 11 quarter sections. This is a party's description in an unresolved appeal, not a Tribunal finding.

Sources [1]
Public record

Wetlands identified in appeal

351 wetlands; approx. 85 ha

The appellants' filing says the application package identifies 351 wetlands covering about 210 acres and schedules all of them for removal. The Tribunal has not ruled on the allegation or the permit's compliance.

Sources [1]
Proponent projection

Employment

~3,000 peak construction; 300+ operational

Company projections, not observed job counts.

Sources [5], [6]
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 [8], [4]
Proponent statement

General contractor

Frost Collective

A joint venture of Clark Builders and PCL Construction.

Sources [6], [7]

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 [8]
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 [9], [13]
Public record

Greenlight site-grading permit

DP-26-0216

Sturgeon County approved site grading for Phase 1 of the 932 MW power plant at 56126 Range Road 222. The permit was issued September 18, 2026, and takes effect October 9, 2026, unless appealed. It is separate from Meta's data-centre permit.

Sources [2]
Public record

Backup generators shown in appeal filing

848 diesel units

The appellants say drawings in the data-centre application show 848 backup generators and estimate associated on-site diesel storage at more than 1 million litres. They argue that this infrastructure was deferred to a future AUC process. The figures and legal argument have not been adjudicated.

Sources [1]
Proponent statement

Greenlight ownership

Pembina 47.5%; MSIP 47.5%; Kineticor 5%

Pembina leads construction management. Aecon and Técnicas Reunidas hold the fixed-price engineering, procurement, and construction agreements.

Sources [13]
Public record

Permitted expansion

Up to 1,864 MW

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

Sources [9]
Proponent projection

Natural-gas demand

Approximately 150 million cubic feet/day

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

Sources [13]
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 [14]
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 [5], [13]

Water

The Meta data centre and the associated Greenlight power plant have separate water evidence. Meta's cooling claims do not quantify the data centre's full site demand. Greenlight estimates 538,000 m³/year for the power plant, subject to a municipal water-use approval or agreement. [5], [6], [10], [11]

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 [5], [6]
Proponent statement

Other on-site use

Still required

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

Sources [5], [6]
Proponent statement

Associated power-plant water

538,000 m³/year (538 million L/year)

Greenlight estimates this volume for its power plant, averaging about 1,474 m³/day (1.47 million L/day). It is not a Meta data-centre water-use estimate. The proposed supply is a new Capital Region Northeast Water Services Commission pipeline loop along Highway 643, connected to Sturgeon County's municipal system.

Sources [10], [11]
Public record

Power-plant water approval

Municipal agreement still required

The AUC accepted Greenlight's estimate for its decision but did not approve the water use. Greenlight must confirm and summarize its municipal approval or agreement in the final project update.

Sources [11]
Proponent statement

Associated power-plant cooling

Dry cooling; no cooling towers

Greenlight told the AUC it plans to use air-cooled heat exchangers and an air-cooled condenser. It said this design is not expected to cause local fogging or icing.

Sources [10]
Proponent statement

Associated power-plant wastewater

Municipal sewer proposed; agreement not confirmed

Greenlight told AEPA that there would be no on-site wastewater treatment. It proposed sending qualifying wastewater to Sturgeon County's sewer for Arrow Utilities treatment, with up to 61 m³/hour of reverse-osmosis reject routed to an effluent tank first. Wastewater the system cannot accept would be stored and disposed of off-site.

Sources [10]
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 [5]

Noise

The associated Greenlight power plant has a filed noise-impact assessment. It does not establish the sound contribution from Meta's data-centre buildings, cooling equipment, or backup generators. Residents now allege that the data-centre permit record lacked several noise studies; the Tribunal has not ruled on that claim.

Proponent projection

Modelled cumulative sound

50.4 dBA day; 43.1 dBA night

Greenlight's filed model applies these values at one residence about 860 metres northwest of the power-plant boundary. The applicable daytime and nighttime limits are 55 dBA and 45 dBA. These are modelled power-plant results, not measurements from an operating facility or an assessment of the full Meta campus.

Sources [12]
ADCW context

Data-centre noise

Not separately quantified

ADCW has not identified a public project-specific sound estimate for Meta's data halls, dry-cooling equipment, or backup generators.

Sources [12], [3], [6]
Public record

Noise evidence challenged on appeal

Several studies alleged missing

The appellants say the public permit package did not include an AUC Rule 012-compliant Noise Impact Assessment, a Noise Mitigation and Monitoring Plan, or a Noise Attenuation Study. They say the submitted Noise and Vibration Strategy did not meet Rule 012. These are unresolved appellant claims.

Sources [1]

Indigenous context

Data centre projects sit within treaty territories and places with longstanding First Nations and Métis connections. This section brings together the public record on treaty geography, Indigenous ownership, consultation, and community concerns. Treaty boundaries alone cannot tell us which communities may be affected or how they view a project.

Public record

Treaty and Métis geography

Treaty 6 territory

Sturgeon County identifies the area as Treaty 6 territory, the traditional homelands of Alexander and Michel First Nations, and part of Métis Nation of Alberta Districts 8 and 11. This is geographic context and does not by itself establish project-specific consultation, effects or positions.

Sources [15]

Approval and public process

The master permit is in effect, but a preliminary tribunal process will decide who may appeal and whether the challenges can proceed to a full hearing. The appellants' September 15, 2026 submission records their allegations, not findings by the Tribunal.

Public record

Preliminary appeal stage

116 appeal files

The September 15, 2026 submission describes a coalition of approximately 120 people. The October 13, 2026 preliminary hearing is expected to address standing and whether the appeals may proceed, not the final merits of the permit challenge.

Sources [1]
Public record

Affected-person dispute

County's proposed 3 km radius challenged

The appellants oppose a blanket distance cutoff and seek evidence-based standing tied to possible noise, light, emissions, traffic, emergency-route, drainage, and hydrological effects. The Tribunal directed production of maps showing 3 km, 5 km, and 10 km radii; it has not adopted the appellants' requested 10 km scope.

Sources [1]
Public record

Permitted use and bylaw compliance

Separate questions before the Tribunal

For the preliminary argument, the appellants accept that a major data-processing facility is a permitted use in the Heavy Industrial district. They argue that this does not resolve compliance with the Land Use Bylaw, Municipal Development Plan, and Alberta's Industrial Heartland Area Structure Plan. No ruling has been made.

Sources [1]
Public record

Application-package audit

Missing, partial, or deferred studies alleged

The appellants say their review of the 4,386-page package found gaps involving noise, groundwater, landscaping, parking, topography, off-site drainage, emergency response, geotechnical work, biophysical effects, air emissions, cumulative effects, health, and reclamation. Some listed reports were discretionary, and the Tribunal has not determined whether the County's review complied with the governing plans and bylaw.

Sources [1]
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 [3]
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 [3]
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 [4]
Public record

County development principles

Seven guiding principles published

Sturgeon County's principles call for dedicated power, minimized water use, no municipal incentives, developer-funded infrastructure, heavy-industrial locations, reduced community impacts, and annual public reporting. They mix County decisions, developer obligations, and broader expectations; the page does not identify every principle as a condition of this project's permit.

Sources [4]
Public record

Annual public reporting

Expected by Sturgeon County

The County says operators are expected to report water use, noise levels, and nitrogen oxide emissions each year. This is a published expectation, not confirmation that the reports exist or that it is an enforceable condition of this project's permit.

Sources [4]
Public record

Greenlight Water Act approval

DAUT0024959

AEPA's November 26, 2025 approval covers permanent wetland disturbance and construction of a stormwater management system for the power plant. It is not approval of Greenlight's municipal water use or Meta's data-centre water demand.

Sources [10], [11]

Timeline

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

  1. Public record

    AEPA issued Water Act Approval DAUT0024959 for permanent wetland disturbance and a stormwater management system for the associated Greenlight power plant. [10][11]

  2. Public record

    Sturgeon County issued a grading permit for site preparation. [4]

  3. Public record

    Master site development permit DP-26-0028 issued. [3]

  4. Public record

    The AUC approved the associated Greenlight Electricity Centre, subject to conditions including confirmation of a municipal water-use approval or agreement in Greenlight's final project update. [11]

  5. Proponent statement

    Greenlight's partners announced a positive final investment decision for the 932 MW first phase, an approximately CA$4.0 billion capital-cost estimate, and an approximately CA$4.6 billion total project cost including financing costs. [13]

  6. Public record

    Municipal development permit became effective after the notification period. [3]

  7. Proponent statement

    Meta publicly announced the Sturgeon Data Centre. [5]

  8. Proponent statement

    Clark Builders reports early planning, purchasing, crew and equipment mobilization, and site preparation underway. Its page does not confirm that main facility construction has begun. [18]

  9. Proponent projection

    Main data-centre construction expected to begin, according to Sturgeon County's published timeline. [4]

  10. Public record

    Residents filed preliminary written submissions asking the Land and Property Rights Tribunal to reject a blanket 3 km standing cutoff and allow the permit challenge to proceed to a full merits hearing. The filing's allegations have not been adjudicated. [1]

  11. Public record

    Sturgeon County issued DP-26-0216 for site grading associated with Phase 1 of the separate 932 MW Greenlight Electricity Centre at 56126 Range Road 222. [2]

  12. Public record

    Greenlight site-grading permit DP-26-0216 is scheduled to take effect unless appealed; appeals are due the same day. [2]

  13. Public record

    Preliminary LPRT hearing referenced in the appellants' filing. [1]

  14. Proponent projection

    Capital Power expects the initial 250 MW data-centre load to enter service. [8]

  15. Proponent projection

    Sturgeon County expects the data centre to be operational. [4]

  16. Proponent projection

    Committed 932 MW Greenlight gas-generation phase expected in service. [13]

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 difference between Meta's 1 GW announcement and Clark Builders' approximately 1.6 GW compute-capacity figure remains unresolved. The sources do not establish whether the figures describe different phases, designs, or definitions of capacity.
  • Clark Builders reports a project size of 2.9 million sq. ft., but the approved building area, final campus footprint, and phased build schedule remain unconfirmed in the reviewed municipal records.
  • Expected annual facility electricity consumption has not been publicly quantified beyond the announced 1 GW capacity and supply agreements.
  • Meta's expected annual water withdrawal, consumption and wastewater volumes have not been published; Meta promises annual disclosure after operations begin.
  • Greenlight must still confirm its municipal water-use approval or agreement in its final AUC project update. The reviewed record also does not establish that Greenlight completed its proposed wastewater-acceptance agreement with Sturgeon County and Arrow Utilities.
  • 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.
  • The Tribunal has not decided which appellants qualify as affected persons, whether the appeals will proceed to a full merits hearing, or whether any alleged bylaw, planning, assessment, or deferral issue affected the validity of DP-26-0028.
  • The public record reviewed by ADCW does not establish the final AUC approval path, equipment specifications, operating limits, fuel-storage design, or cumulative effects for the 848 backup generators described in the appellants' filing.

Source record

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

  1. Appellants' Written Submissions on Preliminary Issues: DP-26-0028, Project Frost

    Sturgeon County Appeals Group / Land and Property Rights Tribunal · Tribunal filing · 2026-09-15

  2. Development permit approval notice for 56126 Rge Rd 222

    Sturgeon County · Municipal record · 2026-09-18

  3. Development permit approval notice for 56111 Rge Rd 223

    Sturgeon County · Municipal record · 2026-06-16

  4. Data Centre Development

    Sturgeon County · Municipal record · Updated through 2026-09-04

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

    Meta · Company disclosure · 2026-07-08

  6. Meta Sturgeon Data Centre fact sheet

    Meta / Sturgeon County · Company disclosure · 2026-07

  7. Sturgeon Data Centre project site

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

  9. Greenlight Electricity Centre: Proceeding 30261

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

  10. Proceeding 30261 filings X0089, X0093 and X0094

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulatory filing · Accessed 2026-08-17

  11. Decision 30261-D02-2026: Greenlight Electricity Centre Project

    Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulator · 2026-06-25

  12. Greenlight Electricity Center Noise Impact Assessment

    Stantec for Greenlight Electricity Centre GP Ltd. / Alberta Utilities Commission · Regulatory filing · 2025-08-20

  13. Greenlight Electricity Centre final investment decision

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

  14. Greenlight Electricity Centre Initial Project Description

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

  15. Truth & Reconciliation

    Sturgeon County · Municipal record · Accessed 2026-08-12

  16. Meta Data Center

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

  17. Hello, Sturgeon County!

    Meta Data Centers · Company disclosure · 2026-07-08; accessed 2026-08-31

  18. Sturgeon Data Centre

    Clark Builders · Company disclosure · Undated; accessed 2026-08-31