Environmental groups in New Mexico say those efforts are not enough.
A top executive with the tech giant Oracle, which is behind the massive Project Jupiter data center proposal in rural southern New Mexico, says the project has been redesigned to reduce environmental impacts. The change to what has been described as one of the largest data center projects in the country comes amid public concerns about the increased air pollution associated with the site.
Julia Robin, Oracle’s head of infrastructure planning and sourcing, said in an interview with the Mountain West News Bureau at KANW Public Radio that the company abandoned its original plan for a gas pipeline to power a turbine and is now working with Bloom Energy to build a fuel cell-based system instead. Fuel cells convert fuel into high-efficiency electricity without combustion, according to Bloom Energy.
“We're learning what's most important to folks, as well, as we build at this scale, and not everyone's perfect,” Robin said. “Maybe we didn't have the right understanding of certain hot-button topics in certain areas, but again, I think the point is, we're listening now, and we've shifted our approach significantly.”
Robin said the changes came after residents and advocacy groups raised alarms about water consumption and air pollution from the proposed 1,400‑acre, $165-billion campus that will support a partnership with OpenAI, known for its ChatGPT platform.
“So this original solution that was originally filed in the permit that was submitted last year was, in its simplest form, a gas turbine power plant that used a lot of water,” Robin said, comparing it to other gas turbines on the grid.
After public comments, Oracle switched to a fuel cell system that Robin said dramatically cuts air emissions. The new permit now describes the site as a “minor source” of emissions.
“The carbon monoxide came down by, let me give you the real number, by more than 80%,” Robin said.
She cited similarly low numbers for other pollutants, including ozone precursors.
Robin also claims the site will have less of an impact on water.
“The cooling system is and will remain closed loop,” Robin said. “It's a one-time fill. There's a few top-offs occasionally for any number of minor reasons, but the water use is very low relative to the data center itself.”
The Project Jupiter saga is emblematic of what has become a national reckoning over data centers’ potential impacts on everything from the environment to noise and the ongoing pushback many of them have faced.
In April, the Austin-based tech giant submitted to New Mexico state environment officials its revised plan with reductions in electricity production and emissions. The new air pollution permit application comes after previous applications were withdrawn late last year.
Robin said Oracle expects to generate excess power and is exploring ways to eventually share that with the regional grid through a partnership with El Paso Electric.
Still, environmental groups remain deeply skeptical or outright opposed to the project. That includes New Energy Economy of Santa Fe, which is formally opposing Oracle’s newest air permit application, according to its executive director, Mariel Nanasi.
“So one of the things is that they were at 14 million tons of carbon in the first application, and now it's been reduced to 10 million tons of carbon equivalent per year,” Nanasi said. “Yes, that's a reduction, but is it still an enormous amount of climate-warming pollution? Yes, it is.”
Noise is another concern raised by opponents to the site. Robin pushed back, saying the noise should be no louder than a normal conversation at the fuel cell yard — around 65 decibels — and most sound would be contained inside the buildings.
“Most of the noise is from the servers themselves inside the building,” Robin said. “It doesn't come outside at all.”
With public opposition to data centers reportedly high across party and age lines, environmental groups say the burden is on companies to prove their solutions are both credible and sustainable.
