Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today that the social network would be opening a new $1 billion data center in Fort Worth, Texas, that will be completely powered by renewable energy.

“Our data centers power Facebook and will help connect billions of people around the world in the coming years,” said Zuckerberg in a post to Facebook. “Fort Worth will be one of the most advanced and energy efficient data centers in the world. It will use 100 percent renewable energy and it will actually add 200 megawatts of new wind energy to the Texas power grid. It will be built using hardware designed and developed through the Open Compute Project.”

He added, “This is just one example of new technologies we’re building to create internet services at planetary scale. We’re grateful to the Fort Worth community for helping to make the world more open and connected, and we’re glad to be a part of that community.”

The new data center is a big win for Fort Worth, a North Texas city that often plays second fiddle to nearby Dallas, which has nearly double Fort Worth’s population and is already home to several major technology firms, including Texas Instruments Inc. and AT&T Inc.

Altogether, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex makes up the fourth largest metropolitan area by population in the United States, placing it ahead of other major metropolitan areas like Houston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta.

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price said that the new data center will be bringing several thousand new jobs to the city.

“Today, we broke ground on the project that is expected to bring us approximately 11,000 direct jobs, and when all phases are completed, over $1 billion in economic impact,” Price said in a Facebook post. “More important than the numbers, however, is that Facebook fits in well with Fort Worth’s business community. Like Facebook, we believe that a connected community is crucial for health, engagement, transparency, and well-being.”

Price is likely referring to Facebook’s ongoing efforts to expand internet coverage worldwide, which it largely accomplishes through its somewhat controversial Internet.org organization.

She added, “We know that our newest employer will encourage employees and partners alike to value our community through utilizing cutting edge technology to minimize environmental impact, and through giving back to the community through volunteerism.”

Construction has already begun on the site, and Facebook hopes to have the first portion of the project completed by summer 2016.

Image credit: Facebook (c)