• Demonstrators raised concerns about the 1GW facility’s electricity demand, water use, emissions and the effect of AI expansion on employment
  • The protest followed two local permits, while the project is expected to use grid power before a planned gas-fired plant starts in 2030

The fact

Dozens of people have protested Meta’s planned data centre in Sturgeon County, north of Edmonton. Organiser Ben Baril said the proposed 1GW facility could strain Alberta’s water supply and electricity grid and add greenhouse-gas emissions. Protesters also objected to data-centre expansion because of concerns that artificial intelligence could threaten jobs.

Meta expects to invest more than C$13 billion in the project, its first data centre in Canada. Sturgeon County approved site preparation in May and the broader development plan in June. Construction is due to begin in the second half of 2026, with the facility scheduled to open in 2029. Meta says it expects the site to be online within two to three years. Until the Greenlight Electricity Centre starts operating in 2030, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the centre would draw power from the provincial grid.

The assessment

The protest does not create a new approval stage or change Meta’s construction plan. The project already has permission for site preparation and wider development, so any effect would have to come through a formal appeal, new permit condition or government review.

Until then, the main issue is whether Meta delivers the project under the terms already set out. The facility is expected to begin operating before the Greenlight power plant, leaving an initial period when it may draw electricity from Alberta’s grid. Sturgeon County also says developers must fund project-related infrastructure and report on water use, noise and nitrogen oxide emissions.

These are existing responsibilities, not requirements created by the protest. Public opposition may, however, increase attention on how they are carried out. For BTW readers, the protest matters only if it changes an official decision or exposes a gap between the project’s commitments and its delivery. At present, it has raised scrutiny without altering the development.

What to watch

Watch for a formal appeal, revised permit condition or change to Meta’s construction schedule. Grid-connection terms, infrastructure spending and the first published figures on water use, noise and emissions will show whether the concerns raised by protesters lead to a change in oversight or project delivery.