Across the United States, data centers are becoming a hotbed of controversy. While they promise economic benefits, the environmental and social costs are often overlooked. In New Mexico, Oracle’s Project Jupitera massive Data center planned in Doña Ana County, has sparked significant debate. This project, a collaboration between Oracle and OpenAI, is not just about technological advancement; it’s about the unintended consequences of rapid development.
The New Mexico Environmental Law Center has already filed two lawsuits against the county, citing a blatant lack of transparency in the project’s planning. Meanwhile, Oracle has launched a charm offensive to greenwash the project’s harms and promote its economic benefits. But what are the real costs and benefits of such massive data centers?
The Environmental Impact of Data Centers
Data centers are known for their massive energy consumption and water use. However, the environmental impact goes beyond these well-known issues. Project Jupiter, for instance, plans to use Bloom Energy’s solid oxide fuel cells instead of traditional gas turbines. While this might sound like a sustainable choice, the reality is more complex.
The Myth of Green Fuel Cells
According to journalist Tobias Mann, the switch to fuel cells isn’t the sustainability win it’s often portrayed to be. Fuel cells require fueland in the case of Bloom Energy, that fuel is primarily natural gas. While they can be converted to run on hydrogen, the hydrogen supply must be sustainably sourced, which is not always the case.
The Bureau of Land Management has fast-tracked a natural gas pipeline in New Mexico to power Jupiter’s fuel cells. This has raised concerns among Northern New Mexicans, who are also fighting plans to put a hydrogen plant in Questa due to potential groundwater contamination.
Hazardous Waste and Emissions
Fuel-cell microgrids emit hazardous waste, including benzene, a known carcinogen. The New Mexico Environmental Law Center has accused Oracle of disingenuously painting the microgrid proposal as a green energy solution despite its significant emissions. These include 10 million tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions, 124.01 tons per year of VOCs, and 161.21 tons per year of CO24, along with unknown quantities of hazardous waste.
Water Consumption and Contamination
Water is another critical concern. Project Jupiter’s proposed closed-loop cooling system, even if it uses less water than an evaporative cooling system, still relies on water in an area with limited resources. There are also potential contamination issues and problems with the coolant. Oracle’s claim of using non-potable water is a distraction; non-potable water is still a vital resource, and Oracle’s history of corporate misconduct speaks louder than its propaganda.
The Heat Island Effect
Less well-known but equally significant is the heat island effect. In hot, dry southern New Mexico, the additional heat generated by data centers can have a real and significant impact on the local climate.
The Economic and Social Impact
The alleged benefits to the community, such as job creation and economic growth, are often overstated. Data centers provide very few permanent jobs, and those that are created are typically engineering and technical positions, not blue-collar jobs. According to a recent report for the Brookings Institution, data centers do not require a large workforce to operate.
The permanent jobs are engineering and technical jobs, not blue-collar jobs. That’s no real help to most of the community. There’s also that problematic history of corporate misconduct, which includes employment-related misconduct. So, good luck enforcing the dubious job promises.
As to indirect jobs through increased customers for local businesses, these, as some Jupiter cheerleaders have admitted, amount to a few out-of-state workers buying a burger and a pre-roll on their way home from the center. That’s an extremely low bar, and does not outweigh the harms.
The Broader Context
The United States already has more data centers than any other country in the world—more than 5,400, while the rest of the world combined has 1,469. With the hype around AI starting to fade, the need for more data centers is questionable. If better AI is the goal, investing in higher education might be a more effective strategy.
Organized opposition to data centers is growing, particularly in the Midwest, where communities are more aware of big industry’s playbook and more willing to organize across political divisions. Erin Brockovich, known for her work against corporate bullying, has recently started a website offering tools and resources to help affected communities fight back.
Project Jupiter is not the first massive data center in New Mexico, nor will it be the last. Reportedly, a data center over three times the size of Jupiter is being proposed in Lea County. This should serve as a wake-up call for New Mexicans. Perhaps it’s time to organize and demand more transparency and accountability from these tech giants.