New Mexico

Understanding New Mexico’s data center boom | Opinion

Published

2 months ago

January 8, 2026

Understanding New Mexico’s data center boom | Opinion

Paul Gessing, Rio Grande Foundation
| Las Cruces Sun-News

After years of failure to land a “big fish” business for New Mexico’s economy (or effectively use the oil and gas revenues to grow the economy) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham with the help of her Economic Development Secretary Rob Black have lured no fewer than three large data centers to New Mexico. These data centers are being built to serve the booming world of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and they will have profound impacts on New Mexico.

It is our view that having these data centers locate in New Mexico is better than having them locate elsewhere. While we have many differences of opinion with this governor, we are pleased to see her get serious about growing and diversifying New Mexico’s oil-dependent economy albeit quite late in her second term.

Sadly, the governor and legislature have chosen not to use broad based economic reforms like deregulation or tax cuts to improve New Mexico’s competitiveness. But, with the failure of her “preferred” economic development “wins” like Maxeon and Ebon solar both of which the governor announced a few years ago, but haven’t panned out, the focus on a more realistic strategy is welcome and long overdue.

Currently, three new data centers are slated to be built in New Mexico:

Oracle’s Project Jupiter in Santa Teresa with an investment of $165 billion.
Project Zenith slated to be built in Roswell amounts to a $11.7 billion investment.
New Era Energy & Digital, Inc. While the overall investment is unclear, the energy requirement is the largest of the three at 7 gigawatts (that’s seven times the power used by the City of San Francisco).

What is a data center? Basically, they are the real-world computing infrastructure that makes up the Internet. The rise of AI requires vast new computing power. It is critical that these facilities have uninterrupted electricity.

That electricity is going to be largely generated by traditional sources like natural gas and possibly nuclear. That contravenes New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act of 2019 which was adopted by this Gov. and many of the legislators still in office. Under the Act electrical power emissions are supposed to be eliminated in a few years.

With the amount of money being invested in these facilities and the simple fact that wind and solar and other “renewable” energy sources aren’t going to get the job done. In 2025 the Legislature passed and MLG signed HB 93 which allows for the creation of “microgrids” that won’t tax the grid and make our electricity more expensive, but the ETA will have to be amended or ignored to provide enough electricity for these data centers. There’s no other option.

New Mexicans have every right to wonder why powerful friends of the governor can set up their own natural gas microgrids while the rest of us face rising costs and decreased reliability from so-called “renewables.” Don’t get me wrong, having these data centers come to New Mexico is an economic boon.

But it comes tempered with massive subsidies including a 30-year property tax exemption and up to $165 billion in industrial revenue bonds. New Mexico is ideally suited as a destination for these data centers with its favorable climate and lack of natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. We shouldn’t be giving away such massive subsidies.

Welcoming the data center boom to New Mexico better than rejecting them and pushing them to locate in other states. There is no way to avoid CO2 emissions whether they happen here or somewhere else. But, there are questions about both the electricity demand and subsidies that must be addressed as New Mexico’s data center boom begins.

What will the Legislature, radical environmental groups, and future governors of our state do to hinder (or help) bring these data centers to our State? That is an open question that depends heavily on upcoming statewide elections. It is important that New Mexicans understand and appreciate these complicated issues.

Paul Gessing is president of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation. The Rio Grande Foundation is an independent, nonpartisan, tax-exempt research and educational organization dedicated to promoting prosperity for New Mexico based on principles of limited government, economic freedom and individual responsibility

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New Mexico

New Mexico squares off against Saint Joseph’s (PA) in NIT matchup :: WRALSportsFan.com

Published

21 minutes ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

New Mexico squares off against Saint Joseph’s (PA) in NIT matchup :: WRALSportsFan.com

By The Associated Press

Saint Joseph’s (PA) Hawks (24-11, 14-6 A-10) at New Mexico Lobos (25-10, 14-8 MWC)

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: New Mexico and Saint Joseph’s (PA) meet in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Lobos are 14-8 against MWC opponents and 11-2 in non-conference play. New Mexico ranks second in the MWC with 9.6 offensive rebounds per game led by Tomislav Buljan averaging 4.1.

The Hawks are 14-6 in A-10 play. Saint Joseph’s (PA) scores 73.3 points and has outscored opponents by 3.4 points per game.

New Mexico averages 9.5 made 3-pointers per game, 1.5 more made shots than the 8.0 per game Saint Joseph’s (PA) gives up. Saint Joseph’s (PA) averages 8.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.1 more makes per game than New Mexico allows.

TOP PERFORMERS: Buljan is averaging 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Lobos. Jake Hall is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games.

Jaiden Glover is scoring 16.0 points per game and averaging 4.9 rebounds for the Hawks. Derek Simpson is averaging 14.2 points and 5.4 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Lobos: 6-4, averaging 83.1 points, 35.0 rebounds, 16.1 assists, 8.7 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.3 points per game.

Hawks: 9-1, averaging 72.5 points, 35.7 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 5.0 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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New Mexico

Clovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured

Published

12 hours ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Clovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured

CLOVIS, N.M. (KCBD) – A 21-year-old woman is dead and four others are injured after a shooting in Clovis early Sunday morning.

Clovis police said a 911 caller reported hearing multiple gunshots at Grand and Calhoun streets at about 12:28 a.m. on March 22. Dispatch received multiple 911 calls where callers stated that multiple people had been shot.

Officers and Clovis Fire Department Emergency Medical Services were dispatched to the scene, where multiple persons were transported to Plains Regional Medical Center with varying degrees of injury.

Five persons were identified as having sustained gunshot wounds. A 17-year-old female was transported to a Lubbock-area hospital with life-threatening injuries. One victim, 21-year-old Lyrasha Haskins, has died from her injuries.

The Major Crimes Unit is actively investigating this homicide.

Anyone having information related to this incident is asked to call the non-emergency line for the Clovis Police Department at 575-769-1921. Information can also be provided anonymously by using the Clovis Police Department’s tip411 program at www.police.cityofclovis.org . Anonymous tips can be provided to the Curry County Crime Stoppers at 575-763-7000.

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