New Mexico Supreme Court Upholds Stay on Project Jupiter Data Center Permit
The New Mexico Supreme Court denied a motion by Project Jupiter's developers, Yucca Growth Infrastructure LLC, to reopen proceedings for an air quality permit for their Santa Teresa data center. This decision upholds an existing stay, keeping the permit process paused due to concerns over the natural gas pipeline route. The project's development continues to face delays as federal approvals are pending and state land access has been denied.
The New Mexico Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a request from Yucca Growth Infrastructure LLC, developers of Project Jupiter, to advance proceedings for an air quality permit. The permit, essential for a massive data center campus under construction in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is for an on-site microgrid power facility that would utilize a methane-powered fuel cell system. This ruling keeps the permit process on hold, thereby delaying the project's progress.
The Supreme Court's Aug. 23 stay had initially paused the process. Yucca Growth Infrastructure sought to partially vacate this stay to allow pre-hearing filings to move forward for a public hearing, which was scheduled for September 14. However, the court denied this motion, affirming the pause on the permit.
The non-profit New Energy Economy opposed allowing the hearing to proceed, citing the developer's lack of an approved route for its natural gas pipeline. This pipeline is intended to supply 400 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from El Paso, Texas, traversing private, federal, and state trust land. The New Mexico State Land Office has already denied access to state land for the project, and federal approvals are still pending, further complicating the development.