Electric and water planners tell commissioners they can support some data-center growth but warn limits, system impacts and customer protections

El Paso Electric and El Paso Water gave detailed briefings to the County Commissioner's Court on May 21 on how the utilities plan for rapid growth and large, energy- and water-intensive projects.

El Paso Electric explained its multi-step interconnection process for large customers: a formal application with an initial deposit, system-impact studies, identification of any transmission or substation upgrades, and contracts allocating costs. The company stressed that dedicated costs for customer-specific upgrades (for example, on-site substations or long lead-time transformers) are borne by the party requesting the connection; only upgrades that yield broad system benefits would be considered for inclusion in the utility's general rate base. The utility also described its generation mix (a large Palo Verde nuclear share plus gas, solar and batteries), supply constraints, and long lead times for equipment. Commissioners asked how household rates might be affected; El Paso Electric said new large customers can reduce per-customer burdens but added that no household should be asked to underwrite a project's direct costs.

El Paso Water summarized regional water supplies and drought risk: current sources include the wackable (brackish) zone, Mesilla groundwater and variable Rio Grande surface inflows. The utility outlined an ARPA- and state-supported portfolio of projects to boost drought resilience: Ka Hutcherson plant brackish expansions, a pure-water (desal/ reuse) facility, aquifer recharge/"water bank" projects and targeted surface-water connections in the upper valley. Staff said these strategies, plus accelerated leak detection and conservation, will be needed to avoid service restrictions during dry years. Lower Valley Water District partnerships were highlighted: El Paso Water provides treatment and wastewater services under contract and cautioned that substantial new industrial demand within the Lower Valley could change contract assumptions and require new infrastructure and planning.

Community advocates at the meeting urged the court to prioritize colonia service and to scrutinize data-center incentives; speakers pressed utilities for transparency and for strong safeguards so that long-term costs and water use are not externalized to residents. County staff committed to follow up with legislative and planning tracks and to coordinate next steps with public-health and economic-development partners.