The ongoing construction of a hyperscale data center in northeast El Paso is continuing to generate opposition, with a member of Congress issuing a call for public dialogue regarding the project.
Late last year technology giant Meta Platforms formally announced that work had begun on the facility, disclosing in the process that it intended to invest upwards of $1.5 billion on the project near the Texas/New Mexico border.
In the planning and talking stage for well over 2 years, plans for the center said that it would be built over a phased construction timeframe lasting 25 years.
But in March, the company, which is based in Menlo Park, California, announced that it was upping its investment to $10 billion, with a new goal of attaining around 1 gigawatt of capacity by the time the initial part of the facility becomes operational in two years.
Now Democratic Representative Veronica Escobar, whose 16th Congressional district includes El Paso, has released a letter asking Meta Platforms to agree to hold a series of what she is describing as “public listening sessions” relating to the project.
From her Washington office, Escobar remarked that her constituents continue to “raise questions about energy demands, rising utility costs, water usage, and environmental implications.”
Acknowledging that a recent public outreach meeting hosted by U.S. Army leadership on the center has proven productive, Escobar nonetheless is asking for more public discussions.
The press release from Escobar’s office emphasizes that as part of a process exploring the project “the community must not be left in the dark and should have a direct voice in shaping decisions that will impact El Paso’s future.”
Meta recently announced that it has thus far invested some $8 million in local infrastructure upgrades for the project, which includes road improvements.
April 28, 2026
By Garry Boulard
