Oracle releases new energy-specific proposals for “Project Jupiter” in Santa Teresa

On Wednesday, Oracle, in partnership with OpenAI, released multiple press releases detailed revised plans for the construction of "Project Jupiter," a brand new A.I. data center currently being built in Santa Teresa, New Mexico.

The data center, which is expected to cost nearly $165 billion, has still yet to be approved be the New Mexico Environmental Department, even after being discussed upon in both Doña Ana County and New Mexico state government for nearly 10 months.

The new proposals are heavily focused on the soon-to-be data center's energy efficiency, with Oracle claiming that this new plan has the data center expected to reduce nitrogen oxide emmisions by around 92%.

However, many Las Crucans and city officials alike are not believing the promises being made by Oracle, and stand firm in their belief the data center will only dispurse carbon emissions and utilize more New Mexico water services than they hoped.

So much so, that four New Mexico state senators gathered in Las Cruces Thursday afternoon to speak with community members about the new proposals, as well as express their frustrations with Oracle's persistance.

"It's dishonest and it's another slap in our face," Democratic Senator Jeff Steinborn, who represent District 36 and Doña Ana County, told ABC 7. "Let's be clear. This will emit 10 million tonnes a year of CO-2 into our environment. And they are making no apologies for that."

ABC 7 reached out to Oracle for a response to Sen. Steinborn and others who have criticized their new proposal and provided us with this statement:

Project Jupiter remains committed to being a responsible long-term partner in New Mexico through continued investment and engagement with state and local stakeholders while meeting New Mexico's regulatory standards.

The project will deliver transformative investments for residents, including $50 million to help upgrade distressed local water systems, $360 million in direct support for schools, infrastructure, and local services, and $6.9 million for workforce development, the Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces, the community college, and habitat restoration. This is in addition to our philanthropic partnerships with local organizations like Casa de Peregrinos food pantry and the Moms on Board organization driving development of Dino Dig Park.

We also changed our power plan to use Bloom Energy fuel cells, which significantly reduce the environmental impact of power generation for the project. Compared to the air permit submitted in January, the new plan brings NOx emissions down by 92%, CO down by 67%, VOC down by 38%, particulate matter down by 83% and CO2 down by 21%.

Finally, we know water is a precious resource for all New Mexicans. In addition to the $50 million to help repair and improve local water systems in Doña Ana County, we have engineered Project Jupiter to conserve water. The project's use of public drinking water will be no different than any other office building. We’re using non-potable water from an existing water rights holder to cool the data center and operate the fuel cells. These systems require a one-time fill. After that one-time fill they will use the same amount of water per year as two U.S. households.

We've worked hard to be a collaborative partner and we will continue working constructively with policymakers throughout this process.