Meta is mitigating its risk through a complex financing structure: On July 28, Meta announced a joint venture with BlackRock to develop a 1-gigawatt AI data center in El Paso, Texas, with a total investment of approximately $14 billion. This marks the second time Meta has employed a financing model where financial institutions hold a majority stake and technology companies act as tenants.
This model first appeared in the Louisiana data center project, with a total investment of approximately $50 billion. Meta held only 20%, while the remaining 80% was sold to private equity firm Blue Owl, which raised funds for construction through a $27.3 billion bond issuance. The accompanying natural gas power plant has a 30-year lease term, while Meta can decide whether to cancel the lease every four years.
Through this approach, Meta can retain project revenue and have flexible exit options. However, this situation has raised concerns.
The Louisiana project is located in impoverished and flood-prone areas with insufficient insurance coverage. In the event of a hurricane, losses would primarily be borne by bond investors; if Meta exits early, local residents may have to accept significant increases in electricity bills to cover the costs of the power plant.
On the other hand, these bonds are rated A+, potentially allowing them to be invested in by investment-grade funds, pension funds, and 401(k) accounts. Local residents bear the risk of rising electricity prices and may also indirectly bear the related risk through retirement savings. In essence, Meta transfers long-term financing risks, environmental and public costs to investors and the local community.
