Proposed data centers along Rio Grande corridor face controversy, scrutiny

Data center developments along the Rio Grande corridor in New Mexico and Texas have recently faced intense public backlash and scrutiny, with several local governments convening heated public meetings to discuss proposed projects.

In Socorro County, commissioners unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on data center development on Tuesday night. This decision followed public opposition to Green Data's proposed 10,000-acre solar farm and data center project, which New Mexico Tech subsequently announced it had dropped. The county's vote also established a committee of experts and community members to draft future data center regulations.

Further south, in Doña Ana County, commissioners in Las Cruces had to pause a public meeting due to disruptions from opponents of "Project Jupiter." Critics were angered that a scheduled event was an open house and career fair rather than a public forum for concerns. Concurrently, the New Mexico Environment Department extended the public comment period for an air quality permit for Project Jupiter, a $165 billion facility under construction near the Santa Teresa/Sunland Park border region, which claims to use a closed-loop cooling system requiring 960,000 gallons of water for startup.

Across the state line, El Paso's city council voted to maintain an incentive agreement with Meta for a $1.5 billion AI data center, despite significant public opposition. Opponents raised concerns about the region's fragile water supply, as the City of El Paso estimates Meta's facility will use 1.5 million gallons of water daily. Meta, however, asserts its data center will use 100% clean energy and restore more water than it consumes by 2030.