EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced that the upcoming data center is an investment in El Paso in an effort to fight what they are calling bad publicity.
On Thursday, during the 2026 Global Border Summit, hosted by the Borderplex Alliance and held at the Hotel Paso del Norte in Downtown El Paso, Jon Barela, the CEO of the Borderplex Alliance and Gary Demasi, the vice president of data center development at Meta, addressed what Barela called “misinformation” and “bad data” after several local groups have expressed their opposition to the Meta data center being built near U.S. Highway 54 and Stan Roberts Sr. Avenue in Northeast El Paso.
Area where Meta data center will be built.
Barela urged supporters to engage elected officials and back what he called “game-changing economic development initiatives.”
“This is a golden opportunity, a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create jobs, hope, opportunity for our people,” Barela said.
So, what are the developments?
Demasi said first of all, construction so far in the center has employed around 1,500 workers and is expected to support over 4,000 workers in total.
Then, once the center is up and running, Demasi said it will be run by 300 full-time employees.
They also spoke about how the investment could boost the local workforce.
Demasi described it as a new workforce development effort in partnership with El Paso College Schools, including a “500,000-couple grant” and plans to launch its annual Data Center Community Action Grants Program, which will provide grants to schools and nonprofits for projects that use technology for community benefit and improve STEM education.
Regarding the issue of energy, which has been a contentious subject, Demasi said the data center’s annual electricity use will be covered by “100% by new, clean, and renewable energy projects” paid by Meta, adding that the cost will not be passed to customers.
Demasi, possibly referring to the McCloud facility, a $473 million gas-powered plant, El Paso Electric proposed to power the data center; however, natural gas is a fossil fuel, not a renewable source of energy.
READ MORE: El Paso Electric proposes $473 million gas plant to power Meta data center operations
On the topic of water, Demasi said Meta will restore 200% of the water it consumes and highlighted initiatives to bring clean running water to communities that have historically lacked those services in El Paso, something that Meta’s director of data center community and economic development, Bradley Davis, had said back in October of 2025.
Demasi also announced two new water restoration projects that he said will provide irrigation technology to farmers in the Borderland to help them save energy and reduce costs, while restoring millions of gallons of water to the local watershed through enhanced irrigation practices.
Demasi also announced a $25,000 grant to El Paso Water, designed to help residents struggling to pay their water bills.
Watch announcement:
Meta announcement during the 2026 Global Border Summit. March 26, 2026. Credit: KFOX14/CBS4
RELATED: Project Jupiter ignites debate: Economic tech boom or ecological bane for Borderland?
The announcement comes as people have raised concerns regarding the impacts of these data centers in the Borderland, with OpenAI’s Project Jupiter being built in Santa Teresa.
The County and City of El Paso have both agreed to develop “practice guides” for data centers, looking to learn from the impact that data centers have had in other communities across the country.
RELATED: El Paso County takes first step to develop practices guide for data centers
“Some communities have seen a net benefit… It’s increased [their] property tax revenues,” County Commissioner Jackie Butler said, adding, “I’ve heard from other counties that say we can’t afford the electric rates that are being brought on by these data centers.”
City Rep. Chris Canales also recently took to social media to share his views on AI data centers, explaining how his views on the centers have changed between the time of the agreement with Meta and now, saying that it is too late to stop the center, but not too late to prepare for the possibility of future data centers.
The City of El Paso has held two community meetings seeking to gather input from the community.
El Pasoans, however, have expressed their frustration with how these meetings are formatted.
RELATED: Community concerns continue at second El Paso data center meeting
List of remaining meetings:Thursday
Pavo Real Recreation Center
9301 Alameda Ave.Monday, March 30
The Beast Urban Recreation Center
13501 Jason Crandall Dr.Thursday, April 2
Chamizal Community Center
2119 Cypress Ave.Wednesday, April 8
Wayne Thornton Community Center
3134 Jefferson Ave.
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar is calling on Meta to hold its own public listening sessions.
In a letter sent on Wednesday, Escobar said residents deserve more transparency about how the project could affect the community.
“I respectfully request that Meta hold public listening sessions with the El Paso community and provide greater clarity into how the data center will impact all of us,” Escobar wrote.
View full letter:
RECOMMENDED: Community concerns continue at second El Paso data center meeting
RECOMMENDED: Mayor Johnson outlines 2026 priorities at El Paso ‘State of the City’ address
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.