Sturgeon County, north-east of Edmonton in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, has posted two more development-permit approvals for the data-centre lands around Range Road 223. On its own page the county lists the project as Meta’s first data centre in Canada, a $13 billion+ investment.

The permits

  • DP-26-0028 — Master Site Development Permit (56111 Rge Rd 223): “a comprehensive framework for the development of a Data Processing Facility (Major)” across multiple quarter sections. Issued 16 June, effective 7 July 2026.
  • DP-26-0293 — Piling Foundation Permit ONLY for Building DCB01 and Mechanical Yard MY01 (56027 Rge Rd 223). Issued 20 October, effective 10 November 2026. It lists 17 tax-roll parcels, including roll 453000, the same roll as the master permit.
  • DP-26-0241 — Site grading “for phased development of Data Processing Facility” (56211 Rge Rd 223). Issued 22 October, effective 12 November 2026. The notice does not name the applicant.
  • For the neighbouring Greenlight gas plant, DP-26-0216 allowed site grading for Phase 1 (932 MW) of the Greenlight Electricity Centre. It took effect on 9 October.

All four are zoned Heavy Industrial.

Who can appeal

Each notice gives a 21-day window and says: “Permitted Use Development Permits can be appealed by the applicant only, unless any person was affected by the decision where the Land Use Bylaw was relaxed, varied or misinterpreted.” Discretionary or variance permits can be appealed by anyone affected. Appeals go to Alberta’s Land and Property Rights Tribunal when a provincial approval (for example from the Alberta Utilities Commission) is involved, and otherwise to the county’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

“Permitted Use Development Permits can be appealed by the applicant only…” — Sturgeon County permit notices, October 2026

Power, water and who pays

  • Power: the Alberta Utilities Commission approved Greenlight Electricity Centre GP Ltd.’s 1,864 MW combined-cycle plant in Decision 30261-D02-2026 (25 June 2026). It is to be built in two stages on 98 hectares about 8.5 km east of Gibbons and fully operating in 2031. The county lists Phase 1 at 932 MW and $4.6 billion, operating in 2030.
  • County principles: the county says it judges data centres against seven principles: “bring your own power”, “minimize water use”, “no municipal incentives”, “public annual reporting”, “developer-funded infrastructure”, “minimize community impacts” and “industrial locations only”.
  • Jobs and timing (company figures as listed by the county): about 3,000 construction jobs and 300 operating jobs, with operations from 2028. The county says the project includes about $60 million of local infrastructure improvements.
Citizen impact: Because these are permitted uses in an area the county says was planned for heavy industry decades ago, neighbours have little formal say at the permit stage. The 21-day notices are the main public trigger, and they can be appealed by third parties only on narrow grounds. The county’s policy is “bring your own power” and no municipal incentives. The neighbouring Greenlight gas plant is AUC-approved, but we have not pulled a supply contract tying it to Meta. Water use and emissions reporting is promised as county policy, but we have not found it in permit conditions.

What this piece does not say

We do not say piling or construction has started. A permit taking effect is not proof of work on site. We do not report the outcome of residents’ earlier appeal of the master permit, because we have not found a Tribunal decision. We do not repeat the 1 GW and 1.6 GW capacity figures in circulation, because they come from company and builder statements and do not match each other. A Western Standard report on a county official’s comments about public notices is a tip only.

Bottom line

Meta’s Sturgeon County site moves from a paper framework to foundation and grading permits, which take effect on 10 and 12 November. Only the applicant can appeal unless the bylaw was bent, and the neighbouring 1,864 MW Greenlight gas plant is already AUC-approved.