Truth or Consequences, NM (KKOB) – Another New Mexico county is putting the brakes on new data centers. Sierra County commissioners voted unanimously to approve an 18-month moratorium on future data center development. The move follows similar actions earlier this year by Santa Fe and Socorro counties.
Meanwhile, construction continues on Project Jupiter in Doña Ana County near Santa Teresa. The project is currently facing scrutiny during the state permitting process, with debate centered on emissions from a proposed fuel cell power plant. Developers say the facility would generate enough electricity to support the massive data center campus, while critics have raised environmental concerns.
The proposed power plant would produce enough electricity to power several of the state’s largest cities, and is expected to produce more greenhouse gas emissions than Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces combined.
