In huge news for Alberta, technology giant Meta announced plans this week to invest $13 billion in the province to build a massive AI data centre. The one-gigawatt data centre will be located in Sturgeon County, where Meta plans to spend $60 million on local infrastructure upgrades.

To meet the electricity needs of the new data centre, Pembina Pipeline Corporation, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Kineticor Asset Management are building a new $4.6-billion natural gas plant. By 2030, when the new natural gas plant is expected to be ready, it will generate enough power to fully power Meta’s facility.

JAY GOLDBERG: New data centre in Sturgeon County massive win for Alberta and all of Canada Back to video

This will help create additional demand for Western Canadian natural gas, encouraging more jobs and economic growth in that sector.

In addition, according to Meta, the facility itself will employ more than 3,000 Albertans at the height of construction. Even after the facility is operational, it will continue to employ 300 Albertans.

And these are good-paying jobs. Construction will mean jobs for pipefitters, electricians and ironworkers, among others, while........

© Edmonton Sun