New Mexico Supreme Court allows Project Jupiter permitting to resume

The New Mexico Supreme Court has unanimously denied challenges from two environmental advocacy groups, allowing the permitting process for Project Jupiter to resume. The court lifted temporary stays placed in August, unpausing regulatory proceedings for the hyperscale data center currently under construction in Doña Ana County.

The challenges were filed by the Santa Fe-based New Energy Economy and the national Center for Biological Diversity. The groups argued that the state’s air quality permit application and the project’s use of an emergency water well lacked sufficient due process and public participation.

With the court's decision, the project can once again draw water from a well on its 1,400-acre site in Santa Teresa. Additionally, a contentious regulatory proceeding regarding whether a natural gas fuel cell system used to power the facility will be permitted to release emissions will move forward through the New Mexico Environment Department.