Could Permian Basin Gas Solve El Paso Data Center Issues?

Data Centers coming to El Paso have got a lot of folks upset for various reasons but, maybe, they don't have to be here at all.

More and more folks are jumping on the anti - data center band wagon. I'm not crazy about them myself but it looks like they could have a home near El Paso rather than in it. One of the nearby oil fields.

There's a list of reasons why peeps are against the data centers being built in and around El Paso. No matter what side you're on, you've got a decent argument but, maybe, there's a better alternative outside El Paso.

Why Oil Fields Are Bad For El Paso

I'm pretty much anti on these things, the biggest reasons being the enormous fuel and water consumption ... we're in the desert 'ya know, it's not like there's an ocean nearby to draw from and Ascarate Lake sure isn't going to feed it ... and they're really noisy.

Why Data Centers And Oil Fields Are A Good Combo

According to grist.org, oil producers in the nearby Permian Basin have a surplus of natural gas, (a side effect of the drilling process), that has to be burned off or vented. That gas could be used to generate the power a data center needs according to energy and water use experts.

“If you have a declining oil field and you had that big captive asset there, then plugging it in to run digital infrastructure instead makes a lot of sense.” - grist.org

Data Centers Are Loud

Not too many people live in oil fields or even around them and those that do probably won't care about the noise.

“Where you stand on these things depends on where you sit,” said Collins, who has studied the potential of Texas’ enormous Permian Basin to support data centers. “If you’re already out in the middle of an area that’s seen heavy industrial activity for a long time, there’s already a precedent, and folks there will probably find it easier to deal with.” - grist.org

Chevron Deal

Chevron has apparently already made a deal to supply electricity to a major, west Texas data center.

What About Water?

That's a BIG deal but, the problem may be solved. An article at grist.org mentioned at least one "Closed Loop" system that uses very little water for cooling - just enough to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool. Not bad, especially since it takes it about a decade to use that much.

The Great Job Con

A big selling point for the people that want to build these things is that they will create jobs. Apparently, according to grist.org, that isn't the case. They say these things actually create fewer jobs than other industries.