Meta
DeKalb County, IL
Source: OpenStreetMap
Meta is a mapped data center in DeKalb County, IL, operated by Facebook USA, Inc. and ultimately owned by Meta Platforms, Inc.. DataCentersExposed has documented a 568,454 sq ft footprint at this site.
Reporting by Eric Keller · Updated Aug 26, 2026
Overview
source: linkA mapped Meta data center in DeKalb County, Illinois, the site is operated by Facebook USA, Inc., which is ultimately owned by Meta Platforms, Inc. The facility covers 568,454 square feet and draws power from Commonwealth Edison Co within the PJM grid.
Operator chain
- Ultimate parentMeta Platforms, Inc.
- Files asFacebook USA, Inc.
- This facilityMeta
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
Data-center discussions in DeKalb County
source: LocalView (CC0)Local-government meetings in this county that discussed data centers, each cued to the moment. From the public LocalView corpus of government meetings on YouTube — a county-level signal, not necessarily about this specific site.
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.
Illinois reported $983.2M in Data Center Investment Program — state & local sales/use tax exemption (20 ILCS 605/605-1025; administered by DCEO) (2019-2024 (27 certified data centers; cumulative estimated exemption value)) (Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)). Program-wide, not attributable to this site.
Water use
No measured record exists, so this is a low-confidence model from 37 MW (interconnection capacity): 1.8 L/kWh cooling (temperate climate) + 0.5 gal/kWh embedded in PJM 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.
What this site costs the grid
source: PJM RPM auction reportsPJM's capacity auction sets a $/MW-day price that utilities pass on to every household and business in the zone. This site sits in PJM's COMED pricing zone, where soaring data-center demand is a documented driver. See the full zone-by-zone breakdown →
An estimated ~110 to 230 MW of load at the zone's $333/MW-day, annualized — the capacity charge a load this size carries at the current auction price. Estimated from the building footprint at 200 to 400 W/ft² (the typical range for modern data centers). A rough order-of-magnitude figure, not a metered or permitted capacity.
Separately, a typical home in this zone pays an estimated $4 to $10/mo more on the capacity portion of its bill that PJM's market monitor attributes to data-center demand. See your address's full impact →
Air quality near this site
source: AirNowAir Quality Index from the nearest AirNow reporting area (Aurora and Elgin), 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, Dekalb Early Lrng And Dev Ctr in Dekalb, is 2.3 mi from this site (231 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.