Project Jupiter developers overhaul data center's power plan

Developers of Project Jupiter, a large artificial intelligence data center proposed near Santa Teresa in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, have revised their power generation strategy, moving away from natural gas turbines in favor of natural gas-powered solid oxide fuel cells from Bloom Energy. This overhaul, announced by Oracle and BorderPlex Digital Assets, is intended to significantly reduce projected greenhouse gas emissions from approximately 14 million tons to 10.1 million tons annually, and cut nitrous oxide emissions by 92%. The new plan is set to make Project Jupiter one of the world's largest natural gas fuel cell projects, generating up to 2.45 gigawatts. The decision to change the power plan comes after the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) deemed initial air quality permit applications incomplete in December, citing concerns over nitrogen oxides emissions. Following this, the developers withdrew their original application and submitted a new one detailing the fuel cell system. Despite these changes, the project continues to draw strong opposition from environmental groups, with Colin Cox, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, labeling the move as "greenwashing." Cox criticized the project's continued reliance on fossil fuels, arguing it would still produce more climate pollution than major New Mexico cities combined, and questioned the adoption of an unproven technology when solar and battery options exist. Further regulatory challenges persist for the project, particularly regarding its planned natural gas pipeline. The New Mexico State Land Office recently rejected several applications related to burying the pipeline on state trust land, though Energy Transfer, the company behind the pipeline, stated it is working to meet permitting requirements. The new power plan also claims "negligible" water use for the data center itself, a significant reduction from the previously estimated 1 million gallons per day for emissions control technology. Water rights for the project are tied to an existing allocation for a sod farm, with office use projected at 20,000 gallons per day from the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority. Bloom Energy's CEO, KR Sridhar, highlighted the growing trend of data centers seeking on-site power generation to meet demand and mitigate community pushback over environmental concerns.