New challenge to Project Jupiter air permit
New Energy Economy has asked a New Mexico hearing officer to dismiss or pause Project Jupiter’s air permit application after updated modeling showed pollutant concentrations could be twice as high as previously estimated. The project’s developer and Oracle say they will refine the design to reduce emissions by 35%, while the New Mexico Environment Department reviews the motion.
New Energy Economy petitioned Hearing Officer James Browning to dismiss Project Jupiter’s air-quality permit application or pause proceedings so Yucca Growth Infrastructure can update its technical information. The Santa Teresa data center project, being developed for Oracle and OpenAI in Doña Ana County, uses a proposed natural-gas and Bloom Energy fuel-cell microgrid.
The petition followed correspondence showing updated modeling doubled some projected pollutant concentrations and increased total emissions by 2%, although the New Mexico Environment Department said the results remained within federal limits. NMED officials questioned whether the assumptions in the original application were sufficiently conservative, and a hearing on the motion was scheduled for Oct. 26.
New Energy Economy Executive Director Mariel Nanasi argued that the revised modeling requires meaningful public and expert review. Oracle Vice President Mahesh Thiagarajan said the company had cooperated with regulators and would propose design changes expected to reduce emissions by 35%, while NMED said it would respond to the motion before a decision is made.