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Data Center Projects in El Paso County, Texas
Last verified: October 27, 2026 · 2 tracked projects · 5 tracked records
Overview
Texas Data Center Watch tracks two data center projects in El Paso County, including the Meta El Paso Data Center, listed as under construction. In March 2026, Meta said the site will grow to 1 GW and its investment will rise to more than $10 billion (Meta; CNBC).
On July 28, 2026, Meta and BlackRock announced a venture to own the campus. Funds managed by BlackRock will hold 80% and Meta 20%; total development costs are about $14 billion, and Meta will lease the campus (Meta).
On water, El Paso Water projects average use of about 480,000 gallons a day, with a contractual cap of 2.5 million gallons a day (KFOX). Meta pledges to restore 200% of the water the data center consumes to local watersheds (Meta).
Added since the Oct. 16 page update:
- Fort Bliss Army data center (Enhanced Use Lease), Far East El Paso (Fort Bliss): listed as proposed (Army conditional selection; lease not final). Developer, per the tracker: Carlyle (conditionally selected); U.S. Army; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (lease negotiations, environmental review) (army.mil · elpasomatters.org · KFOX14).
Tracked projects
| Project | Developer | Status | Capacity / size | Investment | Key dates | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta El Paso Data Center, El Paso | Meta | Under construction | 1 GW by 2028 | More than $10B (Meta); ~$14B total development costs for Meta–BlackRock venture (Meta, Jul 2026) | 2025 announced · Mar 26 2026 expanded to 1 GW/$10B+ · Jul 2026 El Paso Water briefing on usage · Jul 28 2026 Meta–BlackRock venture announced (BlackRock funds 80%, Meta 20% · Meta leases campus) · Apr 15 2026 TDLR registration 'Project Seafox' (facility 'Seafox Addition', 7001 Stan Roberts Sr, El Paso · hyperscale data center campus of 12 new buildings and 5 owner substations on ~600 acres · est. $289M as filed · owner Wurldwide LLC · start Nov 1 2025, completion Feb 28 2029 · Review Complete) (TDLR, found Oct 18 2026). The City of El Paso says the Meta project is filed under Wurldwide LLC and lists its 'Seafox' agreements (official) | Meta · CNBC · KFOX14 · Meta newsroom · TDLR TABS · elpasotexas.gov |
| Fort Bliss Army data center (Enhanced Use Lease), Far East El Paso (Fort Bliss) | Carlyle (conditionally selected); U.S. Army; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (lease negotiations, environmental review) | Proposed (Army conditional selection; lease not final) | About 1,384 acres (Army); initial ~100 MW of compute targeted, 3 GW of electricity by 2029 (Army officials via El Paso Matters, Apr 2026); later reduced in scale and moved (Rep. Escobar statement via KFOX14; new figures not stated) | Official cost estimate not released (El Paso Matters) | Mar 26 2026 Army conditionally selected Carlyle for exclusive negotiations · Initial Operating Capability projected FY2027 (Army) · Apr 22 2026 Army briefing to reporters (El Paso Matters) · later update: site moved, scale reduced, brackish water planned (Escobar statement via KFOX14) | army.mil · elpasomatters.org · KFOX14 |
Recorded benefits and concerns (Meta El Paso Data Center):
- Benefits: More than 300 permanent jobs; 4,000+ peak construction jobs (Meta); Meta pledges to restore 200% of water consumed to local watersheds (Meta)
- Concerns: Water: El Paso Water projects ~480,000 gal/day average, contractual cap 2.5M gal/day
Recorded benefits and concerns (Fort Bliss Army data center (Enhanced Use Lease)):
- Concerns: Gas generation and air quality; groundwater from the Hueco Bolson (El Paso Matters; Escobar via KFOX14)
Sources for each project are linked in the table. Figures labeled "company" come from the developer.
Record timeline
| Date | Type | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2026 | Company announcement | Meta and BlackRock announce venture to own El Paso campus (BlackRock funds 80%); ~$14B total development costs. | Meta newsroom |
| Jul 7, 2026 | News | El Paso Water reassures public on Meta data center water use. | KVIA |
| Apr 15, 2026 | Building registration (TDLR) | TDLR TABS: 'Project Seafox', hyperscale campus with 12 new buildings and 5 owner substations on ~600 acres, est. $289M; owner Wurldwide LLC. | TDLR TABS |
| Mar 26, 2026 | News | CNBC: Meta to spend $10B on El Paso AI data center, 1 GW by 2028. | CNBC |
| Mar 26, 2026 | Federal announcement | Army conditionally selected Carlyle to build and operate a hyperscale data center on about 1,384 acres at Fort Bliss; lease not final. | army.mil |
What's next
These dates come from the tracker. Texas Data Center Watch has no recorded upcoming El Paso County hearings or votes on data centers.
- 2028: Meta expects the site to reach 1 GW (CNBC).
- Statewide permit pause: Under the Governor's Sept. 21 order halting permits sought by data centers (Governor's office), TCEQ sent its Oct. 19 compliance letter: it says permits for infrastructure directly supporting data centers are paused, pending applications are being screened, and claimed authorizations are suspended where possible (TCEQ letter). The Texas Tribune reported Oct. 20 that TCEQ says stormwater permits flagged by Public Citizen were suspended (Texas Tribune). On Oct. 21 TCEQ posted that its STEERS e-filing system for automatic authorizations is temporarily shut down so staff can check whether applications relate to data centers (TCEQ STEERS notice); the Texas Tribune reports a spokesman said applications must be physically provided (Texas Tribune, Oct. 21). The tracker doesn't show whether any project in El Paso County has a pending TCEQ permit.
Frequently asked questions
What data center projects are tracked in El Paso County, Texas? Two: Meta El Paso Data Center in El Paso, listed as under construction; Fort Bliss Army data center (Enhanced Use Lease) in Far East El Paso (Fort Bliss), listed as proposed (Army conditional selection; lease not final).
How much water will the Meta data center in El Paso use? El Paso Water projects an average of about 480,000 gallons a day, with a contractual cap of 2.5 million gallons a day (KFOX). Meta says it will restore 200% of the water consumed to local watersheds (Meta).
How many jobs will it create? Meta says more than 300 permanent jobs and 4,000+ construction jobs at peak (Meta).
Who owns the El Paso campus? Under the venture announced July 28, 2026, funds managed by BlackRock will own 80% and Meta 20%, and Meta will lease the campus (Meta).
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