Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, confirmed Tuesday it will operate a large data center in east Tulsa known as Project Anthem.
According to an announcement, Meta said the data center will support artificial intelligence. It would be the first of such facilities in Oklahoma and the company's 28th overall across the globe.
The project began phase one of construction earlier this year, but has faced controversy as Tulsa residents and officials question impacts.
Tulsa City Council unanimously passed a moratorium on data centers last month following outcry from constituents. That caused Project Anthem to pull back from its rezoning application for phase two of construction even though city council carved out an exception.
In Tuesday's announcement, Meta claimed the data center will support 100 permanent jobs and create 1,000 construction jobs. It also claimed it will pay all electricity costs in full and not pass such costs onto local customers.
Environmental impacts of data centers have been a topic of major concern. Meta claimed its Tulsa data center will "be matched with 100% clean energy" and limit its water usage.
Controversial data center proposals have popped up across northeast Oklahoma. The company behind a large data center in Coweta known as Project Atlas scrapped its plan last month following public disapproval.
