Meta's Alberta data centre to open before nearby gas power plant is ready
The mismatch means Meta's facility north of Edmonton will need to draw power from elsewhere until the dedicated Greenlight plant comes online.
Why it matters
The project reflects growing demand for power-hungry data centres in Alberta and raises questions about how the province's energy grid will keep pace.
Meta Platforms Inc. is planning a large data centre north of Edmonton that is expected to begin operating years before an adjacent natural gas-fired power plant built to supply it is ready.
The gas plant, known as Greenlight, is not expected to be operational for about four years, according to reporting on the project. That timeline creates a gap between when Meta's data centre could be up and running and when its dedicated power source is actually generating electricity.
Details on how the data centre will be powered in the interim, along with specifics on capacity, investment and job figures for both projects, were not included in the available reporting.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.