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Meta Breaks Ground on a Planned 1 GW Data Center Campus in Lebanon, Indiana

Meta says its Lebanon, Indiana, data center campus is designed for 1 GW of compute capacity, with more than $10 billion in planned investment and about 300 projected operational jobs.
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Meta broke ground on a data center campus in Lebanon, Indiana, on February 11, 2026. The company says the campus is designed for 1 gigawatt (GW) of compute capacity once operational, with more than $10 billion in planned investment. That is a design target—not a claim that the site is already operating at 1 GW.

What Meta is building in Lebanon

Meta describes the project as its second Indiana data center site. The roughly four-million-square-foot campus is intended to support artificial intelligence workloads as well as the company’s core products. Meta’s February 11, 2026 announcement and project page describe a planned campus, not an operating facility.

Meta uses “compute capacity” to mean the processing power available to run workloads—the work its servers and chips can perform at a given time. Its April 2026 explanation says Lebanon is planned for at least 1 GW after construction. That figure describes intended capacity; it is not the site’s present electricity use or a measured operating load. The company says Lebanon, Richland Parish, El Paso, and New Albany are each planned for at least 1 GW, but those plans do not establish equivalent energy consumption or current operating performance. See Meta’s explanation of compute capacity.

What Meta says the project could mean for jobs and investment

The figures below are Meta’s projections and commitments, not independently verified results. The company’s Lebanon project page and announcement report the investment, size, and job estimates.

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Measure Meta’s published figure What it describes
Investment More than $10 billion Planned project investment
Campus area Roughly 4 million square feet Planned campus size
Construction jobs More than 4,000 at peak Peak construction workforce, not permanent employment
Operational jobs Approximately 300 Jobs Meta projects once the campus is operating

The construction figure is a peak estimate, not a promise that more than 4,000 people will be employed throughout construction. The operational estimate is a separate, smaller workforce projection. Meta’s locations page lists Lebanon as a 2026 groundbreaking project and repeats its investment and job estimates.

How the project’s public and household commitments are described

Meta says it will contribute more than $120 million toward water infrastructure and other public improvements. Its more detailed project fact sheet breaks out more than $75 million for public water and wastewater infrastructure and approximately $45 million for public road improvements. The two more specific categories account for the headline total; they should not be treated as separate additions to it. Meta also says it will provide $1 million annually for 20 years in energy-bill assistance and emergency water-bill support for approximately 500 families. These are company commitments, not evidence that assistance has already been delivered. Details appear in Meta’s project materials and Lebanon fact sheet.

The company says it will work with the Boone County Career Collaborative on workforce development for students in three school districts. It also names the Boone REMC Community Fund for energy-bill assistance and The Caring Center for emergency water assistance, alongside a community grants program described as forthcoming. Meta’s materials also describe a water-restoration project expected to restore 200 million gallons each year for ten years. These are stated plans and expected benefits; the published materials do not establish completed results.

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What Meta says about energy, cooling, and water

Meta says it will match 100% of the new data center’s energy use with clean energy and pursue LEED Gold certification once the campus is operational. Matching energy use with clean energy is a company commitment; it does not mean the campus will consume no electricity. Meta’s project description and fact sheet outline additional design plans:

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  • Closed-loop liquid cooling that recirculates water, with the company saying the campus will use zero water for a majority of the year.
  • A commitment to restore 100% of water consumed in Lebanon to local watersheds.
  • Native landscaping to reduce irrigation, on-site rainwater capture and infiltration, and water-saving fixtures.
  • Revitalization of part of the nearby Deer Creek corridor.

These are planned design features and commitments, not reported operating performance. The cited project materials do not provide measured water use, realized energy sourcing, or independent assessments of environmental impact.

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Who is involved in the project

Meta names state and local officials, economic-development organizations, utilities, community groups, and construction companies among its partners. Its list includes Governor Mike Braun, Mayor Matt Gentry, Boone Economic Development Corporation, Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Boone County Chamber, Boone Power, Wabash Valley Power Alliance, The Caring Center, Mortenson, Turner Construction, and Faith Technologies. This is a list of named partners, not a complete construction roster.

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HOCHTIEF said on February 13, 2026, that Turner Construction was selected as one of the contractors for the project. Turner Managing Director Ben Kaplan described the work as a response to growing demand for high-performance infrastructure and said Turner would work with Meta on delivery and community support. The contractor announcement is available from HOCHTIEF.

What remains unknown

The cited announcements do not give a firm completion or opening date. They also do not establish realized job totals, actual operating capacity, measured water use, realized energy sourcing, or environmental outcomes. Those will require later reporting based on operating data and, where relevant, public utility records rather than relying on projections alone.

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