New initiative will save more water than Project Jupiter data center uses: Oracle

SANTA TERESA, N.M. (KVIA) -- Tuesday, Oracle announced a new partnership to conserve more water than what the Project Jupiter data center uses in New Mexico. The new initiative is expected to save 21 million gallons of water a year, Oracle said.

With the company Arable, Oracle said it expects to save more than 20 times the amount of water needed to run cooling and power systems at Project Jupiter near Santa Teresa. The work will take place in the Rio Grande-Bravo watershed, which is the same watershed that serves the data center.

Arable, an agricultural technology company that aims to help farmers use water more efficiently, Oracle said.

“Our approach to water in New Mexico is simple: use water as efficiently as possible in our operations, then invest in practical, local projects that improve local water infrastructure, conservation, and availability for the community,” said Scott Twaddle, senior vice president, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

The program will use sensors in the field to track data specific to growers' irrigation systems and crops, Oracle said. Sensors track crop water needs and weather conditions.

Oracle said the sensors help farmers calculate water use based on current conditions instead of fixed schedules.

Arable will train growers use the new data tracking, Oracle said.

“This program will help growers reduce unnecessary irrigation, maintain productive farms, and preserve more water for New Mexico’s communities and the environment,” said Jim Ethington, Arable's CEO.

Arable's new partnership with Oracle is the latest investment in connection to Project Jupiter water use. There has also been a $50 million commitment to improve local water and wastewater systems in Doña Ana County, Oracle said.

In June, Oracle announced an update to the data center's energy plan with fuel cell technology. The data center originally had plans to sue gas turbines and diesel generators. Oracle said fuel cells make electricity without combustion, which lowers emissions and water use.

Oracle said Project Jupiter is expected to bring $4.7 billion in economic benefits, create 7,000 construction jobs and 1,500 ongoing jobs.