UPDATE: The City of El Paso provided a statement regarding the Governor’s announcement, it says: <\/p>\n
“The Governor\u2019s announcement and Meta\u2019s public commitment reinforce many of the protections the City has advocated for through its recent data center policy work and participation in state utility proceedings, including protecting ratepayers, conserving water, increasing transparency, minimizing impacts on surrounding neighborhoods, and ensuring data centers bear the costs associated with their operations.<\/p>\n
Based on the publicly available information, the City\u2019s existing agreement with Wurldwide remains in effect and has not been amended.<\/p>\n
If the Public Utility Commission of Texas adopts binding requirements that apply to the El Paso project, the project would be required to comply with those requirements through the applicable state regulatory process.<\/p>\n
The City expects Wurldwide to fulfill all obligations under its agreement with the City while complying with all applicable state requirements. “<\/p>\n
The city adds that the current agreement is not related to the governor’s announcement.<\/p>\n
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) \u2013 Gov. Greg Abbott announced Monday that Meta has agreed to comply with new Texas standards and guidelines for data center development. The state framework requires data center operators to cover their own electric infrastructure costs, implement water reuse procedures and prevent financial impacts on Texas residents.<\/p>\n
The guidelines, issued earlier this summer, aim to protect the state’s power grid, conserve water resources and minimize disruptions to surrounding residential neighborhoods. Under the directives, state utility regulators must audit and approve data center plans before construction can move forward.<\/p>\n
Data center companies must submit detailed disclosures before moving forward with proposed developments. These submissions require companies to outline projected electricity demand, plans for on-site power generation or grid reduction, water sources and water-efficient cooling technologies. <\/p>\n
Operators must also disclose all taxpayer-funded incentives, grants and tax abatements tied to their projects. In addition, companies must outline measures to mitigate impacts on neighboring property owners. <\/p>\n
Requirements include noise mitigation, light controls, property setbacks, traffic improvements and emergency response coordination. Project ownership and controlling interests must also be fully disclosed. <\/p>\n
The Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are tasked with reviewing and auditing all submitted information before any project can proceed. Companies that fail to comply with ERCOT’s audit process face denial of their project approvals. <\/p>\n
Gov. Abbott established the directives earlier this summer to manage the expansion of data centers across the state. <\/p>\n
\u201cI established clear guardrails to ensure data centers protect our electric grid, conserve our water, respect our neighborhoods and pay their own way,\u201d Abbott said in a press release. \u201cThey must not pass costs on to Texas families or interfere with their quality of life,” he continued.<\/p>\n
Meta joins several other major technology firms in agreeing to the standards. Amazon, Google and QTS have also committed to complying with the guidelines. <\/p>\n
In a statement on their website, Meta said:<\/p>\n
Meta\u00a0commends\u00a0Texas\u00a0Governor\u00a0Greg\u00a0Abbott\u2019s\u00a0leadership\u00a0and\u00a0welcomes\u00a0his\u00a0continued\u00a0efforts\u00a0to\u00a0protect\u00a0ratepayers,\u00a0conserve\u00a0water,\u00a0and\u00a0promote\u00a0responsible\u00a0data\u00a0center\u00a0development\u00a0in\u00a0Texas.<\/p>\n
Whether\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0creating\u00a0jobs,\u00a0growing\u00a0opportunities\u00a0for\u00a0local\u00a0businesses,\u00a0or\u00a0improving\u00a0energy\u00a0and\u00a0water\u00a0infrastructure,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0committed\u00a0to\u00a0strengthening\u00a0communities\u00a0and\u00a0paying\u00a0our\u00a0own\u00a0way:<\/p>\n
We\u00a0pay\u00a0the\u00a0full\u00a0costs\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0energy\u00a0used\u00a0by\u00a0our\u00a0data\u00a0centers,\u00a0so\u00a0they\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0passed\u00a0on\u00a0to\u00a0consumers.<\/p>\n
We\u00a0pay\u00a0the\u00a0full\u00a0costs\u00a0associated\u00a0with\u00a0water\u00a0and\u00a0wastewater\u00a0usage\u00a0to\u00a0ensure\u00a0our\u00a0projects\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0negatively\u00a0impact\u00a0other\u00a0customers.<\/p>\n
We\u00a0pay\u00a0for\u00a0new\u00a0and\u00a0existing\u00a0grid\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0needed\u00a0to\u00a0serve\u00a0our\u00a0data\u00a0centers,\u00a0so\u00a0these\u00a0costs\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0impact\u00a0communities.<\/p>\n
Our\u00a0new\u00a0Future\u00a0is\u00a0for\u00a0Everyone\u00a0Fund\u00a0will\u00a0invest\u00a0in\u00a0teachers,\u00a0first\u00a0responders,\u00a0and\u00a0energy\u00a0and\u00a0water\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0through\u00a0customized\u00a0programs\u00a0shaped\u00a0by\u00a0community\u00a0needs\u00a0in\u00a0Texas\u00a0and\u00a0across\u00a0the\u00a0country.<\/p>\n