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NewsNoticias Tampa Bay (Univision)August 2, 2026Hillsborough

El Paso seeks state protection against potential electricity rate hikes from data centers

The City of El Paso is petitioning the state to ensure that the costs of building infrastructure for new data centers are not passed on to residential and small business electricity customers. Local officials are seeking to align with a June 10 directive from Governor Greg Abbott aimed at shielding consumers from these industry-related expenses.

energyutility ratesdata centersEl Pasoinfrastructure
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Why It Matters

The outcome of this petition to the Public Utility Commission of Texas will determine whether approximately 700,000 El Paso Electric customers are shielded from potential rate increases driven by the expansion of data center infrastructure.

Key Facts

  • The City of El Paso is formally requesting that the state prevent El Paso Electric from passing data center infrastructure costs to residential and small business customers.
  • El Paso is currently experiencing one of the highest growth rates for data centers in Texas.
  • El Paso Electric serves approximately 700,000 customers.
  • Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive on June 10 intended to prevent infrastructure costs for large data centers from being transferred to households and small businesses.
  • The Public Utility Commission of Texas is the regulatory body currently reviewing the city's request.

Who's Mentioned

personLaura Cruz Acosta“Spokesperson for the City of El Paso.”locationEl Paso“The city government is petitioning the state regarding utility rates.”personGreg Abbott“Governor of Texas who issued a directive on June 10 regarding data center infras”organizationComisión de Servicios Públicos de Texas“The state body responsible for deciding on the city's request.”personVerónica Carbajal“Representative of the organization Sembrando Esperanza.”organizationEl Paso Electric“The utility provider serving the region with approximately 700,000 customers.”organizationSembrando Esperanza“An organization advocating for consumer protection.”