Meta's El Paso data center: the $365M tax abatement, explained
A hyperscale AI data-center campus on about 1,000 acres in far northeast El Paso, operating locally as Wurldwide LLC. The city granted two large incentive agreements. The county abated too. The school district said no. Here is the full picture, with every figure tied to its source.
$365M
City revenue foregone, 25 years
The city's own projection. El Paso Times, Jul 27, 2026
80%
Abatement rate, both city agreements
Chapter 312: 10 years. Chapter 380: 15 years. City Economic Development Review, Legistar, Apr 13, 2026
$417M
What Meta still pays after abatements
Would make Meta the city's largest property taxpayer. El Paso Times, Jul 27, 2026
The project
Meta is building a hyperscale AI data-center campus on about 1,000 acres in far northeast El Paso. The timeline, as reported:
- Apr 2024: land sale closed, about $8.5M.
- Apr 2025: construction began.
- Oct 2025: project announced.
- ~2028: operating target.
The incentives
- City Chapter 312 abatement: 10 years at 80%.
- City Chapter 380 agreement: 15 years at 80% of property tax revenue.
- Both agreements require at least $800M in investment and at least 50 jobs.
- El Paso County granted an abatement as well.
- Ysleta ISD, the school district covering the site, said no to an abatement.
The money
- The city projects $365M in foregone revenue over 25 years. That is the city's own number, not a critic's estimate.
- After abatements, Meta would still pay about $417M, making it El Paso's largest city property taxpayer. For scale, the current top two are El Paso Electric at about $5M (2025) and the Marathon refinery at about $4.34M.
- Power: El Paso Electric's proposed ~366MW McCloud gas plant; Meta pays for the first five years.
- Water: estimated up to 2.5M gallons per day at full buildout.
Sources: El Paso Times, Jul 27 and Aug 14, 2026, Dec 4, 2023; City Economic Development Review, Legistar, Apr 13, 2026.