Facebook Altoona Data Center 1
Polk County, IA
Source: OpenStreetMap
Facebook Altoona Data Center 1 is a mapped data center in Polk County, IA, operated by Facebook USA, Inc. and ultimately owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.. DataCentersExposed has documented a 315,400 sq ft footprint at this site.
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated Aug 25, 2026
Overview
source: linkMeta data center
Operator chain
- Ultimate parentMeta Platforms, Inc.
- Files asFacebook USA, Inc.
- This facilityFacebook Altoona Data Center 1
The grid behind this site, right now
source: MISO · gridstatus- Natural Gas34.4%
- Coal32.8%
- Solar15.4%
- Nuclear10.2%
- Wind4.1%
- Other2.2%
- Imports0.9%
Real-time generation mix for the MISO grid this site draws from, as of Aug 17, 2026, 8:05 PM. ISO-wide, not this facility's own metering. Source: gridstatus.
Grid & water — why here
source: HIFLD · EPAThe closest existing grid infrastructure and the municipal water system this location sits in — the same constraints the buildout model screens on (it won't site a campus more than ~2 km from a substation or ~5 km from municipal water). Distances are straight-line to public HIFLD/EPA features, not a metered connection.
In the news
source: Google News- Data Center Gas Plants to Boost US Power Emissions by 20%Bloomberg.com· Aug 18, 2026
- Singapore-based Data Center Operator Is Said to Confidentially File for $5 Billion IPO in USBloomberg.com· Aug 11, 2026
- US Drafts Ban on China Data Center Components, Reuters SaysBloomberg.com· Aug 4, 2026
- Meta, BlackRock partner on $14 billion El Paso data center ventureCNBC· Jul 28, 2026
- DW News. . Can Germany break US data center dominance on German soil? One home-grown billionaire is giving it a shot. #dwbusinessfacebook.com· Jul 27, 2026
- Data Centers on Track to Suck Up a Fifth of US Power Use by 2035Bloomberg.com· Jul 21, 2026
Tax breaks & subsidies
source: Good Jobs First / GASB 77No per-deal tax break is linked to this site yet. No state discloses the recipient of a data-center abatement at the facility level, so per-site deals are rare in the public record. If you have a development agreement or board resolution for this site, send it to us.
Water use
No public record of this facility's water use. We check state withdrawal reporting for self-supplied sites; municipally supplied sites only become visible through a public-records request to the local water utility — a per-facility request tool is coming. If you have a utility document for this site, send it to us.
EPA permits & violations
source: EPA ECHONo reported violations as of last sync.
Nearest school
source: HIFLD / NCESThe nearest public school, Delaware Elementary in Des Moines, is 1.7 mi from this site (398 students).
Schools are sensitive receptors for the noise, backup-generator exhaust, and traffic a large data center brings. Straight-line distance to the nearest public school (HIFLD/NCES, US public schools only).
Hearings timeline
No public-hearing records linked to this site yet. We surface planning-commission and board-of-supervisors dates when a record names a facility. If you know of a hearing on this site, tell us.