Feature Illustration: Artist rendering of the proposed data center. Image: Meta,
Posted: 4-22-2026
by Art Benavidez
El Paso (El Paso County) — Meta Platforms is significantly expanding its data center project, increasing the facility’s planned capacity to 1 gigawatt and boosting its total investment to more than $10 billion.
The expansion substantially increases the project’s construction scope. At peak activity, more than 4,000 construction workers are expected to be on-site as crews continue building out the campus. General contractors JE Dunn Construction and Hensel Phelps are overseeing construction efforts. Once complete, the facility is expected to support more than 300 permanent jobs. Meta originally broke ground on the project last year, and while the company did not announce a revised completion date, construction activity is expected to ramp up significantly as the expanded buildout moves forward.
The project also includes major infrastructure and sustainability components. Meta said it has already invested more than $8 million in local infrastructure upgrades, including road improvements, and is working with El Paso Water to ensure the full buildout remains within existing water and wastewater agreements. The facility will use a closed-loop liquid cooling system designed to recirculate water and operate with zero water use for most of the year. Meta also said it plans to restore 200% of the water consumed by the data center through partnerships with organizations including Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Frontera Land Alliance, Texan by Nature, and DigDeep. Those initiatives include projects expected to restore millions of gallons of water annually and provide clean running water to more than 100 homes in the El Paso area.
On the energy side, Meta said it is coordinating with El Paso Electric to meet the facility’s power demands and plans to add enough renewable energy generation to offset 100% of the data center’s electricity use. The company said it has already helped add more than 5,000 megawatts of clean energy projects across Texas. Beyond the campus itself, Meta announced a $500,000 workforce development partnership with local schools to help students pursue careers in STEM and skilled trades, while its Data Center Community Action Grants program is expected to launch later this fall. The expansion adds to the growing pipeline of large-scale data center developments across Texas as demand for AI and cloud infrastructure continues to accelerate.
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