The city of El Paso is keeping up its fight to block El Paso Electric’s (EPE) proposed plant to power the Meta data center.
City officials will take part in a hearing over the McCloud Generation facility before the State Office of Administrative Hearings beginning Wednesday, July 8, where the parties involved in the case will present evidence and testimony regarding EPE’s for a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity (CCN) for the proposed natural gas generation facility.
“Our priority throughout this process has been protecting El Paso ratepayers,” City Attorney Karla Nieman said in a news release Tuesday, July 7. “We are prepared to present the city’s case at hearing while continuing discussions with El Paso Electric in hopes of reaching a resolution that provides meaningful protections for existing customers.”
The proposed generation facility is designed to serve Meta’s massive data center cropping up in Northeast El Paso during its first several years of operation before possibly becoming part of EPE’s broader electrical system. The city’s opposition to the plan rests on protecting ratepayers from the increased costs of serving a single, large customer.
Once the hearing is complete, an administrative law judge is expected to issue a Proposal for Decision in October. The Public Utility Commission is on track to consider the application and vote on EPE’s application in December.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso challenges power plant proposed for Meta campus
Reporting by Adam Powell, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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By Adam Powell, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
