Loading page…
The proposed New Mexico projects support Oracle’s carbon-free energy-matching target, but they would not replace the natural gas planned for the data center’s fuel cells.
Listen to this story
The renewable procurement does not change Project Jupiter’s near-term power design: Oracle still expects roughly 2.45 GW of Bloom Energy fuel cells running on natural gas at the New Mexico campus. Instead, the 2 GW of projects are meant to satisfy Oracle’s 2031 carbon-free energy-matching target, leaving gas emissions unresolved and dependent on future hydrogen, biogas, or carbon capture. The project also faces pipeline and air-permit disputes, even as Oracle says construction is 26% complete and on schedule.
Oracle’s RFP targets solar, wind, geothermal and other New Mexico projects delivering between 2027 and 2031.
Fuel cells could cut nitrogen-oxide emissions more than 90% versus gas turbines, Oracle says, but natural gas remains the current fuel.
New Mexico’s Land Office blocked pipeline requests twice; the state Supreme Court paused air-permit proceedings on August 23.
Oracle is seeking developers for 2 gigawatts of new renewable energy in New Mexico for Project Jupiter’s 2031 carbon-free energy-matching goal. The projects would not directly power Project Jupiter or eliminate its natural-gas emissions.
The September 8 request for proposals seeks solar, wind, geothermal and other renewable projects in New Mexico, with delivery targeted between 2027 and 2031. Oracle says it will prioritize projects that can deliver on an accelerated timeline.
Project Jupiter is a $165 billion data center Oracle is building for OpenAI in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, as part of Stargate. Its planned primary power source is about 2.45 gigawatts of Bloom Energy fuel cells, which will initially consume natural gas. Oracle has also pledged $1 million for carbon-capture and sequestration research related to those emissions.
Oracle executive Julia Robin said switching from the original gas-turbine plan to fuel cells could reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions by more than 90%. She said fuel cells can use hydrogen or biogas and are more compatible with carbon-capture systems, but natural gas is currently available and reliable in the region.
New Mexico’s Land Office twice blocked requests for a natural-gas pipeline to the Doña Ana County site. On August 23, the state Supreme Court paused Project Jupiter’s air-quality permitting process while overseeing two environmental-group challenges. Oracle says its tax, jobs, investment and economic-impact projections assume the air permit and pipeline are approved as originally planned.
Oracle said the campus was 26% complete at a September 8 county-commission meeting, and its chief financial officer said two days later that construction remained on schedule. The company has also promised a public dashboard for air, noise, heat, light and water data, alongside third-party assessments it says will be published.
Editorial analysis
Oracle is trying to separate two tests that opponents may see as inseparable: adding renewable generation statewide and reducing emissions at the campus itself. The RFP could produce new New Mexico projects, while fuel cells offer lower local nitrogen-oxide emissions than the original turbine proposal, according to Oracle. But the project’s permits and pipeline remain decisive constraints. The practical next signal is whether those approvals advance—and whether the company’s planned public reporting gives residents a credible way to assess the facility’s air, water, noise, heat and light effects.
Loading discussion...
Make your case
A view to debateRenewable matching should not substitute for cutting a data center’s direct emissions.
Explain which environmental measure should carry more weight.
Be the first to share a perspective or an experience.
Reader comments
Newest comments first. Replies stay oldest first.