If you feel like every time you hear “Meta data center” there’s another shoe dropping, you’re not wrong. The latest twist is that El Paso Electric wants permission from the state to build an entirely new natural gas power plant just to keep Meta’s massive data center running. And for a lot of El Pasoans, that feels like a step too far.
El Paso Could Get A New Power Plant
Meta is building a $1.5 billion data center in Northeast El Paso. These facilities are basically giant warehouses full of servers that run things like Facebook, Instagram, and AI systems. They use an enormous amount of electricity and water, which already makes people nervous in a desert city that struggles with both.
Now El Paso Electric says it needs to build a brand-new gas-powered plant, called the McCloud facility, to meet Meta’s energy needs. The plant would sit right next to the data center and, if approved, could be running by 2027. It’s a $473 million project, and on paper, Meta is supposed to pay for it.
El Paso Electric insists this power plant would be dedicated only to Meta for the first five years. During that “bridge period,” Meta would get all the electricity and cover all the costs. The company says regular customers would not be paying for it.
Why Would El Paso Be Upset If Meta Is Paying?
Because after those five years, things could change. City leaders worry the plant could eventually be folded into El Paso Electric’s normal system. That raises fears that a facility built for a tech giant could later become part of the grid everyone pays for, even if indirectly.
There’s also a bigger trust issue at play. Many residents already aren’t thrilled about the data center itself. Now they’re hearing Meta may power it with a private gas plant instead of the renewable energy they were initially promised. That feels like backtracking to some officials and residents alike.
https://www.statista.com/chart/34295/data-centers-electricity-generation-source/
https://www.statista.com/chart/34295/data-centers-electricity-generation-source/
And then there’s the water. Data centers use staggering amounts of water for cooling, and people are asking why a private corporation should get to consume that much of a shared, limited resource. Between water for cooling and gas for power, many feel like Meta is hoarding one resource while straining others that the community depends on.
What About El Paso Jobs Created By The Data Center?
One of the biggest selling points for data centers is job creation, but the reality is more complicated. The overwhelming majority of jobs tied to a data center happen before it ever turns on.
During construction, projects like these can employ hundreds or even thousands of workers, mostly in trades like electrical, concrete, HVAC, and infrastructure work. Those jobs matter, but they’re temporary, usually lasting one to three years. Once the building is finished, most of those workers move on to the next project, often in another city or state.
After construction wraps up, the number of permanent jobs drops sharply. Large data centers typically employ dozens of people, not thousands. In many cases, a massive facility only supports 20 to 100 long-term positions, including security, maintenance, and IT operations.
In other words, for every permanent job that stays in the community, there can be 10 to 40 temporary construction jobs that disappear once the build is complete. That gap is a big reason why many residents question whether the long-term tradeoffs in water, power, and infrastructure are really worth it.
El Paso City Council Hears Concerns, But Citizens Are Worried
City Council recently voted to “intervene” in the state approval process. That doesn’t mean the city is trying to kill the project outright. It means they want access to documents, details, and safeguards to make sure taxpayers aren’t left holding the bag later.
At the same time, El Paso Electric is also asking for a rate increase tied to other investments, which only adds fuel to public concern. People are worried they’ll see higher bills while a global tech company gets exactly what it needs.
The core frustration is simple. El Pasoans are being asked to trust that a massive corporation and a utility company will keep their promises, protect local resources, and not pass costs onto regular people. Right now, a lot of residents aren’t convinced.
And in a city already dealing with water main breaks, boil water notices, a series of recent electrical blackouts, and rising utility costs, patience is wearing thin.
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