Meta to comply with Gov. Abbott’s Texas data center standards

UPDATE: The City of El Paso provided a statement regarding the Governor's announcement, it says:

"The Governor’s announcement and Meta’s 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.

Based on the publicly available information, the City’s existing agreement with Wurldwide remains in effect and has not been amended.

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.

The City expects Wurldwide to fulfill all obligations under its agreement with the City while complying with all applicable state requirements. "

The city adds that the current agreement is not related to the governor's announcement.

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) – 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.

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.

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.

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.

Requirements include noise mitigation, light controls, property setbacks, traffic improvements and emergency response coordination. Project ownership and controlling interests must also be fully disclosed.

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.

Gov. Abbott established the directives earlier this summer to manage the expansion of data centers across the state.

“I established clear guardrails to ensure data centers protect our electric grid, conserve our water, respect our neighborhoods and pay their own way,” Abbott said in a press release. “They must not pass costs on to Texas families or interfere with their quality of life," he continued.

Meta joins several other major technology firms in agreeing to the standards. Amazon, Google and QTS have also committed to complying with the guidelines.

In a statement on their website, Meta said:

Meta commends Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s leadership and welcomes his continued efforts to protect ratepayers, conserve water, and promote responsible data center development in Texas.

Whether it’s creating jobs, growing opportunities for local businesses, or improving energy and water infrastructure, we’re committed to strengthening communities and paying our own way:

• We pay the full costs for the energy used by our data centers, so they aren’t passed on to consumers.
• We pay the full costs associated with water and wastewater usage to ensure our projects don’t negatively impact other customers.
• We pay for new and existing grid infrastructure needed to serve our data centers, so these costs don’t impact communities.
• Our new Future is for Everyone Fund will invest in teachers, first responders, and energy and water infrastructure through customized programs shaped by community needs in Texas and across the country.
• We publish detailed information in our annual sustainability report about our energy and water usage, restoration projects, and progress.

We support Governor Abbott’s efforts to conduct a comprehensive review of data center growth in Texas and look forward to being a collaborative partner with state and industry officials, utilities, and local communities. For Meta, we don’t just build here, we invest here. And thousands of Meta employees are proud to call Texas home.

Democratic Texas Representative Gina Hinojosa sent out a news release criticizing Gov. Abbott's data center plan:

“Greg Abbott expects Texans to be thankful to the data center corporations that are profiting off of our taxpayer dollars. He invited data centers into Texas, has taken millions of dollars in donations from their CEOs, and is now desperately seeking their help to save his own political career. Guidelines from the governor aren’t laws, so they won’t protect Texans – and that’s exactly how Abbott’s donors like it. What happens when these companies don’t comply? What happens on November 4th?

We need a moratorium on data centers until the legislature can meet to put in place real protections so Texans can have a seat at the table to decide if and how data centers come into their communities. When the companies being regulated are cheering for the rules, you know the rules were written for them, not for Texans.”

Rep. Hinojosa is running for Governor of Texas in the 2026 general election against incumbent Republican Governor Greg Abbott.

ABC-7 will reach out to Meta, El Paso Electric, El Paso Water and the City Attorney to ask how Meta's compliance with the state affects El Paso locally.