Granite Renewables Presents Preliminary Data Center Plans in Grant County, New Mexico
Granite Renewables presented preliminary plans for a proposed data center development in Grant County, New Mexico, but provided few firm details. The project could cover about 8,000 acres and include a 715-megawatt solar installation and battery storage, while county officials consider a possible data center moratorium and community advocates call for greater transparency.
Granite Renewables founder Ian Marcus gave Grant County commissioners the first public presentation on the proposed Layer 1 development near the community identified in the transcript as Plus. The project could span roughly 8,000 acres and include a 715-megawatt solar facility with similarly sized battery storage. Earlier public notices described a natural-gas-powered data center with 32 engines and more than 300 megawatts of generation capacity, but Marcus said the company is still studying the site and has not determined the facility's size, power source or ultimate purpose.
Marcus said the project has no firm water plan, although annual use is expected to be less than 25 acre-feet. Community advocates criticized the presentation, saying residents had limited opportunities to ask questions and that Granite Renewables had not provided sufficient information. The presentation comes as Grant County considers whether to impose a data center moratorium later in the month.