Meta Altoona
Altoona, Polk County, IA
Meta Altoona is a mapped data center in Polk County, IA, operated by Facebook USA, Inc. and ultimately owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.. DataCentersExposed has documented 540 MW of reported power capacity at this site.
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated Jun 14, 2026
Overview
Meta Altoona is a hyperscale data center in Altoona, Polk County, Iowa, operated by Facebook USA, Inc. and ultimately owned by Meta Platforms, Inc. Operational since 2014, the site carries a reported power capacity of 540 MW, drawing electricity from Midamerican Energy Co within the MISO grid.
Operator chain
- Ultimate parentMeta Platforms, Inc.
- Files asFacebook USA, Inc.
- This facilityMeta Altoona
The grid behind this site, right now
source: MISO · gridstatus- Natural Gas33.4%
- Coal28.2%
- Solar13.1%
- Imports11.0%
- Nuclear9.7%
- Other3.0%
- Wind1.6%
Real-time generation mix for the MISO grid this site draws from, as of Jul 15, 2026, 9:20 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- Meta says 2026 spending on AI and data centres will blow past analysts’ estimatesThe Straits Times· Jan 29, 2026
- Study shows state and local opposition to new data centers is gaining steamNBC News· Nov 14, 2025
- Altoona bet on a mega Meta tax break. New property tax cuts may rob city of its big payoffThe Des Moines Register· Jan 7, 2025
- Meta spends $60K per acre for farmlandNorth Scott Press· Aug 27, 2024
- The Facebook Data Center FAQData Center Knowledge· May 31, 2024
- Facebook Ready to Begin Second Data Center in IowaData Center Knowledge· May 31, 2024
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 measured record exists, so this is a low-confidence model from 540 MW (disclosed IT power): 1.8 L/kWh cooling (temperate climate) + 0.55 gal/kWh embedded in MISO grid mix. How we estimate. Have a utility document? Send it and we'll replace this with the real figure.
EPA permits & violations
source: EPA ECHONo reported violations as of last sync.
Air quality near this site
source: AirNowAir Quality Index from the nearest AirNow reporting area (Des Moines), as of 2026-06-10. Regional context — not this facility's own emissions.
Who lives nearby
source: Census ACS 2023Demographics of the census tract this facility sits in (American Community Survey 5-year estimates). Environmental-justice context for who bears the local impacts.
Nearest school
source: HIFLD / NCESThe nearest public school, Altoona Elementary in Altoona, is 0.9 mi from this site (419 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.