Let’s Talk New Mexico, 10/30/25, 8am: There are more than 20 data centers in New Mexico, from Sunland Park to Taos and Albuquerque to Clovis. Some are large like the one run by Meta in Los Lunas, and many are smaller, like the one near downtown Clovis. What they have in common though, is a vigorous debate about their strain on resources and value to their surrounding communities.
Just last month the Doña Ana County commissioners approved a $165 billion industrial revenue bond to fund a massive data complex in Santa Teresa, which would include its own microgrid power system, while drawing ire and threats of recalls from some citizens. In the hours-long meeting people said they were concerned about water usage to cool computers in such an arid environment and the strain on nearby power plants. Supporters hoped for better jobs and an economic injection into their community. Others point to developing green energy facilities and other sustainable measures that could support data centers like a massive solar and battery storage facility being constructed nearby.
On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico we’ll discuss data centers and we’d like to hear from you. Would a new data center in your community be a welcome economic boon or an environmental hazard? Should our state be forward-looking in industrial development at the expense of legacy industries that rely on finite resources like water? Do data centers present an opportunity to build out more environmentally sustainable energy supplies? Email letstalk@kunm.org, leave a voice message by clicking the link above, or call in live at (505) 277-5866 Thursday morning at 8.
Guests:
- Rob Black, Secretary, New Mexico Economic Development Department
- Rep. Angelica Rubio (D) - Doña Ana
Related Reading:
"Signs point to start of construction at $165 billion Project Jupiter AI data center," KTSM-TV
"Meta, energy company announce plans for geothermal plant in New Mexico," Santa Fe New Mexican
"Thirsty for power and water, AI-crunching data centers sprout across the West," & the West
"There’s a reason electricity prices have been rising. And it’s not data centers." The Washington Post
The data center balance: How US states can navigate the opportunities and challenges - McKinsey & Co.
