Meta data center town hall turns tense as residents press water, power officials

EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14/CBS4) — A town hall meeting about the Meta data center drew a standing-room-only crowd Wednesday night, with some residents forced to listen from a doorway or outside the room.

The meeting was hosted by City Representative Cynthia Boyar Trejo and brought together leaders from El Paso Water, El Paso Electric and the city attorney’s office.

Residents lined up and were asked to limit themselves to one question each. Shouting erupted at several points as some people said they could not hear or did not believe their concerns were being fully addressed.

Questions focused on the data center’s projected water and electricity demand, possible pollution and whether the project could eventually increase costs for other utility customers.

One resident said he wanted officials to provide scientific studies and evidence supporting their assurances about the project.

Another resident, who raised concerns about pollution and possible health effects, said he was able to ask his question but did not believe the response was sufficient.

El Paso Electric told KFOX14 the Meta project would not cause residential rates to increase.

“Absolutely not,” said Daniel Perez, El Paso Electric’s director of regulatory and government affairs. “Our regulators, all the municipalities we serve — eight in Texas — and then the Public Utility Commission, and the entire regulatory construct that we operate under prevents that.”

Jordan Salas reports on Meta data center town hall turns tense as residents press water, power officials (Credit: KFOX14)

Perez said the utility charges different customer classes based on the cost of serving them. He also said Meta would be responsible for the infrastructure needed to serve the data center.

El Paso Electric has filed a proposed tariff for high-load customers with the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Perez said the proposal includes protections intended to keep large customers responsible for infrastructure built for them, even if they later close or leave.

Perez also said the Meta site is currently receiving construction power and is expected to begin operations later this year before growing in phases toward an estimated one gigawatt of demand.

El Paso Water also addressed questions about Meta’s projected peak use of 2.5 million gallons of water per day.

In a statement to KFOX14, El Paso Water said:

“El Paso Water will hold Meta to the maximum of 2.5 MGD as stated in the contract.

“Additionally, the water meter provides a physical constraint that will not allow more than the 2.5 MGD to pass through the line.”

El Paso Water President and CEO John Balliew said the data center is expected to reach that maximum only during extreme heat.

“When you get to a really high triple-digit, that’s when the 2.5 kicks in,” Balliew said. “And that’s only a few days out of the year and a few hours on those days that it reaches that amount.”

Balliew said Meta is a large customer, but its projected demand is within the amount of water El Paso Water had already planned to provide in that area.

“It’s exactly the amount of water that we were planning to provide for customers in that area anyway,” Balliew said.

El Paso Water has previously compared Meta’s projected water use to a golf course. Balliew told KFOX14 the comparison was based on water use at Painted Dunes Golf Course in Northeast El Paso.

However, Painted Dunes uses reclaimed water, while Meta would receive water from El Paso Water’s regular system because the utility said its available reclaimed water is already committed to existing customers.

Balliew also addressed concerns about water circulating through the data center’s cooling system.

“In some cases they have a closed system that has treatment chemicals on it that circulates,” Balliew said. “But in this particular case, what’s going to be circulating is simply the water. And so it’s like concentrated water.”

Balliew said evaporation would increase the concentration of salt and other minerals in the remaining water. He said the Fred Hervey Water Reclamation Plant is not equipped to remove high levels of salt, and El Paso Water is negotiating discharge requirements for wastewater from the site.

Utility leaders said the project would not overwhelm El Paso’s water system or shift Meta’s infrastructure costs to residential customers.

Some residents said they still wanted clearer answers and more evidence supporting those assurances.

RECOMMENDED: West El Paso residents press El Paso Electric CEO on summer bill hikes

Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.