El Paso Electric Plant Draws City Opposition
County Commissioner Jackie Butler is hosting a community meeting in Far East El Paso on proposed McCloud power plant transmission lines.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Utilities
Live Poll
Should local utilities pass data center power infrastructure costs onto residents?
El Paso Electric has proposed the McCloud natural gas power plant, which would require high-voltage transmission lines that could run through Montana Vista and Homestead Meadows neighborhoods. The City of El Paso filed testimony with the Public Utility Commission of Texas in June opposing the plant.
Why it matters
The plant's estimated half-billion-dollar cost and planned transmission routes affect residents of Far East El Paso, while the city's objection raises questions about how the project's expenses would be allocated. Community feedback will help determine where the transmission line is built.
The proposed McCloud plant is estimated at $500 million and would connect via 345 kV lines carrying power for a roughly 1 gigawatt data center load. No final transmission route has been selected, and no long-term cost-benefit or customer rate impact studies were conducted.
The players
El Paso Electric
El Paso Electric is the regional electric utility that proposed the McCloud natural gas plant and the associated high-voltage transmission lines serving the Meta data center.
Jackie Butler
Jackie Butler is an El Paso County Commissioner who is hosting the community meeting on the proposed transmission lines in Far East El Paso.
Public Utility Commission of Texas
The Public Utility Commission of Texas is the state agency that regulates electric utilities and will weigh the City of El Paso's testimony on the McCloud plant.
The details
El Paso Electric described McCloud as a proposed natural gas facility near the Meta data center, requiring an expansion of its transmission system to interconnect with the site. The company said Meta would pay the project's cost rather than existing ratepayers, a position the City of El Paso has challenged in testimony before the state utility regulator.
Timeline
June: The City of El Paso filed testimony with the Public Utility Commission of Texas opposing the McCloud plant.
April: Homestead Meadows residents received letters about the proposed power lines.
Thursday: Commissioner Jackie Butler invited residents to the community meeting.
Roadmap
The McCloud proposal reflects a broader pattern in Texas of utilities expanding generation and transmission to meet demand from large data centers, with cost allocation now a central issue before state regulators. Whether those costs fall on the requesting customer or on existing ratepayers is the question the Public Utility Commission of Texas will need to resolve.
Residents along the proposed Montana Vista and Homestead Meadows routes can attend the Montana Vista Fire Station meeting at 6 p.m. to submit feedback that will inform where the transmission line is built. The outcome of the Public Utility Commission of Texas proceeding will determine whether the cost of the plant shifts away from existing ratepayers.
The takeaway
Residents who want to influence the transmission route should attend the community meeting or submit comments to the Public Utility Commission of Texas before a final route is selected.
Further reading
Explore more utility news in El Paso for context on regional power infrastructure decisions.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KDBC.
Live Poll
Should local utilities pass data center power infrastructure costs onto residents?
