New Mexico data center deal faces scrutiny over energy, water use in El Paso region

The El Paso region is experiencing a significant data center boom, with three massive campuses under development: Meta's facility in Northeast El Paso, Project Jupiter in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, and a newly proposed campus on federal land within Fort Bliss. These projects are projected to demand approximately 6.5 gigawatts of electricity, more than twice El Paso Electric's peak demand and total generation capacity, raising substantial concerns about the regional power grid. Project Jupiter, a $165 billion data center under construction in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, has faced considerable controversy regarding its environmental impact and lack of transparency. Initially planning gas-fired power plants, Oracle, now the public face of Project Jupiter, recently announced a pivot to gas-powered fuel cells from Bloom Energy. This change, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 30%, is seen by some as a partial concession to critics but is unlikely to satisfy them, as projected emissions remain higher than the city of Albuquerque's total. Questions also persist about why solar power isn't being prioritized. The water usage of Project Jupiter is another contentious issue. Initial public promises to the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners limited average water use to 20,000 gallons per day post-construction. However, developers later entered a private agreement to purchase water rights from a nearby sod farm, raising concerns that actual water consumption will far exceed public expectations, especially given the region's existing water stress and ongoing legal settlements between Texas and New Mexico regarding groundwater depletion. Similar concerns about water consumption and reliance on natural gas for power generation have been raised for Meta's El Paso facility and the proposed Fort Bliss data center, highlighting a regional challenge of unprecedented scale and environmental implications.