Data Center Census

Santa Teresa, Doña Ana County, NM

Project Jupiter

Also known as Stargate New Mexico

Under constructionNM Supreme Court denied emergency petitions on air and water permits Sept 17, 2026; air-permit proceeding resumes
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating

Project Jupiter is a data center campus in Santa Teresa, anchored by Oracle and named a Stargate site with OpenAI. Doña Ana County approved up to $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds for it in September 2025. It is under construction and is to run on an on-site microgrid of natural-gas fuel cells. Permits for its air emissions and a water well have been challenged by environmental groups and backed by the state Attorney General; the NM Supreme Court denied those petitions in September 2026.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity2.46 GW [5]
on-site generation capacity (2,275 methane-fueled fuel cells), per NM Department of Justice
Site size1,400 acres [7]
site size per Searchlight NM; county lists Phase 1 as 400 acres plus microgrid
Stated investment$165 billion [2]
IRB authorization up to $165B over 30 years; minimum initial investment $50B
Permanent jobs (promised)750 [2]
minimum 750 full-time plus 50 part-time
Construction jobs2,500 [2]
county estimate for 2025-2028; Oracle projects 7,000+
Target completionInitial operations Q4 2026; Phase 1 complete Q3 2028 (county schedule) [2]

Power

Power supplyon-site microgrid with Bloom Energy fuel cells (replacing an earlier gas-turbine plan) [4]
Air permitNMED air quality permit application by Yucca Growth Infrastructure for a fuel cell power system; public hearing scheduled to begin Oct. 19, 2026; NMED decision due by Nov. 23 (as scheduled in July 2026) [9]
Source excerpt
“The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on Oct. 19 at the Sunland Park Multi-Generational Center and will 'continue as necessary,' according to a notice posted on the state Environment Department's website Thursday.”

Water

Water use20,000 gal/day [8]
projected average domestic water use for the office campus only; excludes the one-time fill of the closed-loop cooling system
Source excerpt
“For the office campus, developers projected domestic water use averaging 20,000 gallons daily.”
Water sourceOracle says no potable water for cooling; a well drilled for the project has pumped about 103 million gallons since April 2026 [7]
Coolingclosed-loop [4]
Water permitOffice of the State Engineer approved, within two days, an application by Santa Teresa Capital, LLC to repurpose an existing agricultural well to supply construction water, without notice and hearing, under the Water Code emergency exception (NMSA 1978, § 72-12-22) [5]
Source excerpt
“Santa Teresa Capital, LLC to repurpose an existing agricultural well, without the notice and hearing New Mexico law requires, to supply construction water for Project Jupiter.”

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesIndustrial revenue bonds, Series 2025A/B/C [2]
Payments / community benefits$360 million to the county over 30 years in lieu of taxes, plus $50 million for water and wastewater upgrades and $6.9 million for other community projects [8]
Source excerpt
“The developers have agreed to pay $360 million to the county over 30 years in lieu of taxes; an additional $50 million to fund water and wastewater upgrades and $6.9 million for other community projects.”

Local decisions & site

Deciding voteDoña Ana County Commission passed the ordinance authorizing the $165 billion industrial revenue bond 4-1 on Friday, Sept. 19, 2025 [8]
Source excerpt
“As soon as the ordinance authorizing the bond passed on a 4-1 vote, the room erupted in anger that had been brewing for seven hours.”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Timeline

  1. Doña Ana County Commission approves industrial revenue bonds [3]

  2. OpenAI and Oracle name Doña Ana County a Stargate site [1]

  3. County Commission orders review of developer statements, including on closed-loop cooling and water [3]

  4. Oracle says Bloom fuel cells will power campus; ~700 New Mexicans working onsite [4]

  5. NM Supreme Court stays air-permit proceeding and well drilling [6]

  6. Attorney General Raúl Torrez files responses backing emergency petitions [5]

  7. NM Supreme Court denies petitions and lifts stay [6]

Issues raised

  • The NM Attorney General says state agencies bypassed required notice and hearing procedures for the air and water permits [5]
  • Groundwater use in the drought-stressed Lower Rio Grande Basin [5]
  • County questioned whether cooling would work as originally presented [3]

Sources

  1. OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank expand Stargate with five new AI data center sites
    OpenAI · Sep 23, 2025 · company
  2. Economic Development Projects
    Doña Ana County · government
  3. County Commissioners Adopt Resolution on Project Jupiter Communications
    Doña Ana County · Apr 14, 2026 · government
  4. Project Jupiter Will Bring More Than $4.7 Billion to New Mexico and Hundreds of Jobs for State Residents
    Oracle · Jul 28, 2026 · company
  5. Attorney General Raúl Torrez Files Responses Backing Emergency Petitions Challenging Project Jupiter Permitting Decisions
    New Mexico Department of Justice · Sep 3, 2026 · government
  6. New Mexico Supreme Court denies petitions regarding Project Jupiter air quality permit, water use
    KVIA · Sep 17, 2026 · news
  7. New Mexico Supreme Court allows Project Jupiter permit proceedings to advance
    Searchlight New Mexico · Sep 18, 2026 · news
  8. Doña Ana County approves historic $165B bond for data center
    Albuquerque Journal · news
  9. NM Environment Department schedules October hearing for Project Jupiter air quality permit
    Source New Mexico · Jul 16, 2026 · news