LAS CRUCES — The first direct discussion between leadership of the massive Project Jupiter data center and Doña Ana County commissioners took place at a rowdy meeting Tuesday where three people were arrested.
Mahesh Thiagarajan, vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, announced that there would be 7,000 construction, fiber and power generation jobs at the data center’s peak at the Doña Ana County site and shared more specific plans for the center’s water, fueling and community impact ahead of a crucial air quality hearing in October.
The polarizing Project Jupiter is part of the $500 billion, four-year Stargate initiative to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence for companies like Oracle and OpenAI. Critics say the process behind the data center has been opaque and that its pollutants and emissions will harm future generations. Proponents tout its economic impact and job opportunities.
The divisions were on full display Tuesday, as construction workers in neon vests who had broken ground at the Santa Teresa site clashed with activists holding signs like “Let Santa Teresa Breathe” and “We Can’t Drink Data.”
Raucous public session
There are ongoing debates over transparency in Doña Ana County over the Project Jupiter saga. The Foundation for Open Government filed a lawsuit June 22 against the county that originated with a complaint of an Open Meetings Act violation — county commissioners entered into a closed meeting on Sept. 19, 2025, and subsequently agreed to pledge $165 billion worth of industrial revenue bonds for Project Jupiter.
Project Jupiter’s next big regulatory hurdle is its air quality permit application, which the New Mexico Environment Department will decide by Nov. 23, following a public hearing beginning Oct. 19 in Sunland Park. Developers could then be granted a permit for the facility, which is estimated to produce more than 10 million tons of greenhouse gas, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent, per year.
At Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners limited public comments to 30 people, first come first served, and with two minutes each. The majority of public commenters spoke in favor of the data center.
Commissioner Susana Chaparro advised audience members to “proceed with respect and courtesy” after interruptions and booing.
At one point, Chair Manuel A. Sanchez asked for Orin Parnell be removed for interrupting, leading others to cheer. Parnell was subsequently arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct.
Derrick Pacheco, who spoke against Project Jupiter, was also removed for profanity. Pacheco filed a lawsuit earlier this year that was later dismissed against county leadership over the approval process for Project Jupiter.
After the public input, protesters streamed to the front of the room, chanting: “Let us speak.” The altercation became physical as law enforcement officers held back demonstrators. One protester was knocked to the ground in the scuffle. Two more individuals, Abegail Salugsugan and Kiki Garden, were arrested, according to the Doña Ana County Jail records.
The meeting was held in person at the Doña Ana County Commission chambers and was livestreamed. However, the video feed went black and silent during the clash with protesters.
“Public comment was suppressed and force was used against community members who showed up to participate,” state Rep. Angelica Rubio, a Las Cruces Democrat, wrote on Bluesky. “This is what happens when a governing body has decided that a corporate deal is more important than the people it represents.”
“I am calling on the Doña Ana County Commission to drop any and all charges against those currently being booked, and restore meaningful public comment to every meeting related to Project Jupiter from here on out,” Rubio continued.
Presentation from Oracle
Later in the meeting, Thiagarajan and Bobby Hollis, chief development officer at STACK Infrastructure, gave the commission their first direct update on Project Jupiter.
Chaparro said they had been asking for this meeting for 11 months, and Commissioner Susie Kimble said that Oracle representatives rescheduled a previous town hall meeting at the last minute.
“I have had hundreds of calls from constituents. … They deserve to know the answers. They need to know what kind of air quality to expect, what kind of water to expect,” Chaparro said. “Being transparent: That’s what this community deserves.”
Thiagarajan said Project Jupiter’s overall economic impact to New Mexico would be over $4.7 billion. So far, $10 million in taxes has been paid to Doña Ana County, he said. He added that Project Jupiter would represent a long-term investment in the Doña Ana County community, saying that Oracle plans to be using the data center for nearly 18 years, and STACK would be using it for 25 to 30 years.
Thiagarajan promised 7,000 jobs — a jump from the governor’s original announcement of 1,000 — reiterated no public drinking water will be used and emphasized the data center’s shift to natural gas fuel cells — which have a lifespan of five to seven years — rather than natural gas turbines.
He also talked about working with local schools and universities.
According to Thiagarajan, 300 Doña Ana County residents work at the site, but he did not have further details on where the workers came from. Kimble said that the county was supposed to get quarterly job reports, but has yet to receive one — the first is set to arrive Friday.
Image from video
Kimble said she has also received mixed messaging from Bloom Energy, the fuel cell company, as well as STACK and Oracle: “That’s why people are angry. And that’s why they’re showing up at meetings.”
“It’s as if you sweep into town and you’re going to talk to people in your very nice voice and tell everybody things are going to be OK. We need more information. We need more transparency,” Kimble said. “We need to see the numbers. We need to see the work. We need to know what you’re doing with the water, the air, the noise, the heat.”
The biggest roadblock to any of Project Jupiter’s construction is the air quality permit — it cannot be granted until a public hearing in late October takes place.
Thiagarajan suggested looking to El Paso Electric and the county for permission to connect to the grid if the air quality permit is not approved. However, industrial revenue bonds do not allow for rates for private taxpayers to increase, which would make that shift difficult.
“If the permit’s not available, then it’s the grid. If the grid is not available, I don’t see how I would power the data center. It’s impossible,” Thiagarajan said. “The only option at that point is for me to issue stop work because I can’t keep funding something I don’t know how to power.”
