RIO GRANDE
Substation-AdjacentEl Paso County, New Mexico · WECC
At a glance
RIO GRANDE is a substation-adjacent datacenter candidate site in El Paso County, New Mexico, scoring 55.6/100 DC Readiness — 61st of 172 scored sites in the county. Its nearest substation is RIO GRANDE (0 mi, 115 kV). It sits in the WECC grid region, where interconnection has averaged 3.5 years from request to operation. GridCensus catalogs 100 MW of candidate capacity here.
Power & interconnection
Speed to power
Deep queue and long historical waits — plan for a multi-year interconnection timeline and engage the utility early.
Connectivity
Site characteristics
Risk & environment
Location context
Regulatory climate
No notable statewide DC restriction on record; confirm local zoning and utility tariffs.
Incentive detail: Chapter 313/Chapter 403 property tax abatements; Texas Enterprise Fund; no state income tax.
Site location
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How does RIO GRANDE compare with other sites in El Paso County?
RIO GRANDE ranks 61st of 172 scored candidate sites in El Paso County. Its 55.6/100 is roughly in line with the county average of 54.5. It is about 16% above the New Mexico average of 47.8 and roughly in line with the national average of 53.2.
Against the New Mexico average, its strongest sub-score is fiber connectivity (80 vs 52) and its weakest is natural hazard (45 vs 84). Power and speed to power each carry 20% of the composite score, fiber 12%, water 7% and hazard 6%.
How close is RIO GRANDE to power, fiber and other datacenters?
The nearest mapped substation, RIO GRANDE, is about 0 miles away and operates at 115 kV. For connectivity, the nearest internet exchange facility is MDC El Paso at 14.4 miles. 10 fiber providers report service at the location in FCC broadband data. The closest operating datacenter on record is MDC El Paso, 14.4 miles away.
What are the flood, water and hazard risks at RIO GRANDE?
At the county level, FEMA's National Risk Index rates El Paso County "Very High".
Full DC Readiness breakdown
All 13 weighted sub-scores (0–100) behind the composite DC Readiness score.
Nearby comparable sites
Other scored datacenter candidate sites in El Paso County, ranked by DC Readiness.
| Site | Type | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turbine | Brownfield | 115 kV | 121 MW | 3.5 yrs | 66.7 |
| OZ El Paso | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 64.6 |
| OZ El Paso | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 64.5 |
| PICANTE | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 64.2 |
| CALIENTE | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 64.1 |
| NEWMAN | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 62.6 |
| OZ El Paso | Greenfield | — | — | 3.5 yrs | 61.1 |
| DIABLO | Substation-Adjacent | 345 kV | 600 MW | 3.5 yrs | 60.8 |
RIO GRANDE: common questions
What is the DC Readiness score of RIO GRANDE?
RIO GRANDE scores 55.6/100 on the GridCensus DC Readiness scale, rated good. It ranks 61st of 172 scored sites in El Paso County. The El Paso County average is 54.5 and the New Mexico average is 47.8.
What is the nearest substation to RIO GRANDE?
The nearest mapped substation is RIO GRANDE, about 0 miles away, at 115 kV. GridCensus catalogs 100 MW of candidate capacity for the site.
What grid region is RIO GRANDE in?
RIO GRANDE is in the WECC region. Projects interconnecting there have averaged a 3.5-year wait from queue request to operation.
How far is RIO GRANDE from an internet exchange?
The nearest internet exchange facility is MDC El Paso, about 14.4 miles away; 10 fiber providers report service at the location.
Related pages
About this data
Source: GridCensus composite of HIFLD transmission and substation data, EIA, FEMA National Risk Index, FCC broadband data, PeeringDB and ISO interconnection queues, as published October 10, 2026 — GridCensus refreshes it monthly. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “RIO GRANDE, El Paso County, NM”, https://gridcensus.com/datacenter-sites/new-mexico/el-paso-county/rio-grande-76c46d36 (data as of October 10, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Figures are screening estimates derived from public infrastructure data. Catalogued capacity reflects theoretical candidate capacity, not deliverable or committed interconnection. Confirm all values with the utility, ISO, and on-the-ground due diligence.
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