2 data center projects in El Paso City
Who decides here: the City Council of El Paso City votes on zoning. The El Paso County may review big projects too.
In El Paso City
Meta El Paso data center campus
El Paso, El Paso County
1,000 acres · for Meta
🕒 July 28, 2026: Meta and BlackRock announced a joint venture to own and pay for the campus. Meta will be…
ProposedFort Bliss Army data center (Carlyle)
El Paso, El Paso County
1,384 acres
🕒 May 21, 2026: U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar wrote to the Secretary of the Army asking for more openness. …
Local votes and rules
📌 Other
El Paso City Council unanimously approved its first Data Center Policy Framework. Future very large (hyperscale) data centers will need a special permit with a public hearing and a City Council vote. The city will not give local tax breaks to new hyperscale data centers and will ask for community benefit deals instead. It does not apply to the Meta data center already being built in Northeast El Paso.
🤝 Agreement with the company
After nearly 200 public comments, El Paso City Council voted 5-3 against starting talks to end the city's 2023 incentive deal with Meta for its data center in Northeast El Paso. The mayor said ending a binding contract would put taxpayers at risk.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in El Paso City. - Go to council meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
Depending on where you live in El Paso City: Rio Grande Electric Co-op, Inc. (co-op (owned by its members)) or El Paso Electric Co. (company).
In much of Texas you can pick who sells you power, but this company owns the power lines.
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Texas.
🙋 Open tasks here
- Has the state utility commission (PUC) approved the McCloud gas plant, and who will pay for it after 5 years?
- How many years does the city tax break last? Reports say 15, 25 or 35 years.
- How much water will the campus actually use each day once it runs?
- Did El Paso County also give a tax break, and how much?
- Has the Army signed a final lease with Carlyle?
- Where will the power come from, and will new gas plants be built?
- How will the Army make the site 'water neutral'?
- When will the Army hold public meetings on the environmental review?
- Will the data center pay any local property taxes?