The company says nearly 11 million gallons would be used for initial fills, while ongoing cooling and fuel-cell maintenance would require about 168,000 gallons annually

Damien Willis, Organ Mountain News

LAS CRUCES - Oracle says Project Jupiter’s data center cooling and fuel-cell systems will use about 13.5 million gallons of non-potable water over 15 years, putting a number on broader water demand that had remained unanswered in recent reporting about the massive Doña Ana County development.

Doña Ana County Commission Chair Manny Sanchez pointed Organ Mountain News Monday to an Aug. 11 water-use breakdown published by Oracle, noting that Bloom Energy is responsible for the project’s fuel-cell system while Oracle and STACK Infrastructure have information about the data center buildings themselves.

The Oracle figures provide the first detailed breakdown reviewed by Organ Mountain News that combines water needed for both the four data center buildings and Bloom’s fuel-cell system.

Oracle says nearly 11 million gallons would be required upfront to fill the systems.

After those initial fills, the company estimates Project Jupiter would use about 168,000 gallons annually for cooling-system top-offs and fuel-cell maintenance.

Over 15 years, Oracle puts total water use at approximately 13.5 million gallons.

The figures are Oracle’s estimates. Organ Mountain News has asked the company for additional information and is awaiting a response.

About 10 million gallons for data center cooling

The four data center buildings would each require approximately 2.5 million gallons to initially fill their closed-loop cooling systems, according to Oracle.

That works out to about 10 million gallons across the four buildings.

Oracle says the cooling liquid would remain inside sealed piping and be repeatedly reused, with no additional water needed for day-to-day cooling.

The company estimates maintenance top-offs at between zero and 1,000 gallons annually.

Over 15 years, Oracle lists the cooling systems’ total water use at about 10 million gallons — meaning nearly all of that water would be used during the initial fill.

Bloom Energy’s fuel-cell system would require an additional initial fill of approximately 960,000 gallons.

Bloom has previously told Organ Mountain News that long-term fuel-cell maintenance is expected to require about 167,000 gallons of water annually.

Combined, Oracle says the data center cooling and fuel-cell systems would use about 168,000 gallons per year after their initial fills, or roughly 457 gallons per day.

Why Oracle also calls it 900,000 gallons a year

Oracle presents the 15-year total another way, saying 13.5 million gallons averages to roughly 900,000 gallons per year.

That number includes the nearly 11 million gallons used for the systems’ one-time initial fills, spread mathematically across the full 15-year period.

It should not be confused with the project’s estimated ongoing annual water use after the systems are filled.

Oracle says that ongoing figure would be about 168,000 gallons annually.

The company compares the 15-year average with household water use, saying Project Jupiter’s cooling and fuel-cell systems would consume the equivalent of about nine average U.S. households per year when the initial fills are averaged across 15 years.

Oracle says an average U.S. household uses about 100,000 gallons annually.

The company previously described the ongoing 168,000-gallon annual requirement as roughly equivalent to the annual water use of two U.S. households.

Oracle says operational water will be non-potable

Oracle says no public drinking water will be used to operate Project Jupiter’s data center cooling or fuel-cell systems.

Instead, the company says the project will purchase non-potable well water under contract from an existing New Mexico water-rights holder.

Public drinking water would be used for ordinary workplace needs such as kitchens and restrooms, according to Oracle.

The company says well water supplied to Bloom’s fuel cells would be treated to meet system requirements and that treatment byproducts would be contained or disposed of rather than discharged into the aquifer.

Oracle also says Project Jupiter has committed $50 million toward local water and wastewater infrastructure, with about 80% of that commitment funded as of Aug. 11.

That infrastructure investment is separate from the project’s own water consumption.

Oracle says the project is expected to generate $4.7 billion in economic benefit.

Earlier questions centered on the missing data-center number

Bloom Energy provided Organ Mountain News with the 167,000-gallon annual fuel-cell maintenance estimate last week, along with the separate 960,000-gallon initial fill.

At the time, broader questions remained about the data center cooling system — including how much water would be needed for its initial fill, maintenance top-offs and total use across the full buildout.

Oracle’s published breakdown now provides those figures from the developer side.

The company says each of the four closed-loop cooling systems requires about 2.5 million gallons upfront and little additional water afterward.

Sanchez told Organ Mountain News that Bloom would not necessarily have had the data-center-side figures because its responsibility centers on power generation and the fuel-cell system.

Oracle and STACK Infrastructure, he said, would have information covering the data center buildings themselves.

The distinction fills in a significant portion of Project Jupiter’s projected water-use picture.

Questions remain about the source and contractual details of the non-potable water supply, including the identity of the water-rights holder Oracle says will supply the project.

Organ Mountain News is awaiting additional information from Oracle.

Damien Willis is founder and editor of Organ Mountain News. If you have a personal story to share or a lead we should follow up on, reach out at OrganMountainNews@gmail.com or connect with him on X at @damienwillis.