Some Southern Doña Ana County residents unaware of Project Jupiter, as proposal heads for key vote today (09/19/25)
Doña Ana County commission set to vote on project
La Union resident Maria Chaparro expressed cautious optimism about Project Jupiter, but said it would be important for the company behind the project to be held to its promises. Meanwhile, a number of Sunland Park residents told the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative they weren’t aware of the project. (Photo by Leah Romero/ SNMJC)
If you go
What: Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners meeting
When: 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19, 2025
Where: Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd., Las Cruces
Info: www.donaana.gov
SUNLAND PARK – While the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners considers Friday, Sept. 19 approving a $165 billion artificial intelligence data-center campus just north of the Santa Teresa Port of Entry known as Project Jupiter, some south county residents are unaware of the potential development.
According to the project website, Project Jupiter is projected to create more than 2,500 construction jobs and over 750 permanent jobs, with the intention of hiring Doña Ana County residents. Organizing companies also note on the website that they intend to “invest tens of millions [of dollars] into additional water and wastewater improvements that strengthen the entire community” – a community which has long dealt with issues accessing clean water. Organizers also state that the data center will use a “closed-loop” cooling system, which will involve a one-time “fill up” of the system and is expected to reduce the total amount of water used, leaving continued use of water for employees. The expected water use, if numbers provided by the developers are accurate, would be in line with other industrial users in the area, according to El Paso Matters.
The project has received criticism in recent weeks, including by Sunland Park Mayor Javier Perea for not showing residents exactly how a data center of this scale will impact their access to water, energy and other necessities. Perea called for commissioners to delay the vote scheduled for Friday morning. The city is relatively close to the proposed project site in Santa Teresa.
A vote on the project is slated to take place at a meeting that starts at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 19 at the Doña Ana County Government Center, 845 N. Motel Blvd., Las Cruces.
Sunland Park residents not aware of Project Jupiter
The Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative spoke with people in Sunland Park this week, many of whom were Spanish speakers, who were not aware of Project Jupiter or its potential ramifications.
This is in line with what a group of concerned residents has contended: that many fellow residents simply do not know about the project and its scale. The group is seeking a delay to the vote.
Maria Chaparro, a resident of La Union, a Doña Ana County colonia located north of Santa Teresa, said she did not know very much about the project but started reading and attended a town hall meeting last week at the Doña Ana Community College East Mesa Campus in Las Cruces.
“I did my due diligence and research,” she told the collaborative. “Our question was, what kind of pipeline can you then create from this money that you are investing in this community to include our youth? Gadsden Independent School District, my son is a future engineer. Can these students – GISD, DACC – be part of the sustainability plan and give our youth these opportunities to be part of the problems that this project is going to encounter?”
Chaparro was told “yes,” youth and the larger community will be involved. She said Assistant County Manager Stephen Lopez told town hall attendees that part of the deal with Project Jupiter is to benefit locals through economic development, jobs and education. “I was very happy to hear that,” she said.
She told the collaborative that she volunteered during the town hall meeting to be part of a community advisory committee involved in the larger project, to ensure local voices are heard.
“We need to be part of the process to hold such projects accountable and make sure they’re doing everything that they said they were going to do,” Chaparro said. However, there was a lot of opposition from other community members, she said, which largely focused on the amount of water the data center will require and access to clean drinking water for locals.
Water a big concern among South County residents
Chaparro said many people are still “reeling” from the issues with the Camino Real Regional Utility Authority and water contaminated with high levels of arsenic, and it will require a significant rebuilding of trust in the community.
“I just felt that a lot of people can't go beyond that. They want clean water, even though the presentation said one of the things we're going to take on is cleaning the water,” she said. “They didn't hear that.”
She told the collaborative that while clean water does not account for the entirety of the project, it is a major issue for people living in the south county. Chaparro said she does not believe Project Jupiter’s involvement in clean drinking water and their approach to water usage has not been “properly addressed.”
She added that people from Las Cruces protesting the board of commissioner’s meeting and the project overall do not understand what the needs of the southern county residents are.
“They don't understand that this community here needs economic opportunities,” she said. “I’m all for Project Jupiter. If we can have a community input system, sustain it, maintain it, make it accountable, I think it can work. Community government and economic opportunities like this can thrive if there’s a good feedback loop. If they can demonstrate outcomes.”
David Rios, left, and Arturo Marrufo are residents of Sunland Park, New Mexico, which would become a neighbor of a proposed AI data center up for a key vote Sept. 19, 2025 by the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners. A number of Sunland Park residents said they weren’t aware about the project or its implications. (Photo by Leah Romero/ SNMJC)
David Rios, a long-time resident of Sunland Park, was unaware of the project, but, after being told about it, said in Spanish that a project of that scale will bring money into the community “and that’s what he needs, a company like that.” However, a friend of his, Arturo Marrufo, another Sunland Park resident, started talking him out of it. He told his friend in Spanish that the project will raise local taxes. The Project Jupiter website states that the development will not negatively impact county financials.
The company behind the AI data center proposal is seeking approval for industrial revenue bonds to be issued. Under the model, the company would get the bonds — a form of financing — but transfer ownership of land and equipment to the county. The county would then lease the assets back to the company — essentially resulting in a tax break for the company. But the company pledges to pay $300 million “in lieu of taxes” to the county. At the end of the 30-year duration of the lease, the company, not the county, would take possession of the land and equipment.
Another area resident, Karen, said she was a local teacher and was unaware of the project. However, she said on its face, Project Jupiter sounds like it will have a positive impact on job opportunities in the area. However, she also said: “I’m interested in the water.”
Leah Romero is a freelance journalist working with the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative.