NM Gov touts $1B partnership on new geothermal plant for Meta's data center power needs
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Thursday announced what she described as a 'big damn deal' for green energy production in New Mexico, one that she said will provide Meta's New Mexico data centers with huge amounts of green energy they need without using much water or costing taxpayers a dime.
At a news conference at the Roundhouse, surrounded by cabinet agency heads and leaders from the Silicon Valley giant and also XGS Energy, the governor said the deal means XGS Energy would produce 150 megawatts of energy for Meta through its 'advanced geothermal technology.'
Geothermal energy taps into heat under the Earth's surface to generate electricity using steam turbines or further uses for heating and cooling. Leaders touted the 'advanced' version of that technology as a way to minimize water usage through a 'closed-loop' system and also by using a tiny surface footprint, claiming only 15 acres is needed on the surface for a project that produces enough energy to power 50,000 homes.
Read the report here.
In addition to the energy production, the new geothermal plant will mean a $1 billion private sector investment that will create 3,000 construction jobs and 100 'really good' jobs running the geothermal power plant, the governor said.
It's not clear when the company will break ground on the plant or plants or where they will be located. Company leaders described at least a three-year permitting timeline.
The governor and XGS Energy CEO Josh Prueher said New Mexico has the exact right geology to greatly expand geothermal projects. A 238-page academic report released Thursday claims the state has enough capacity to produce 163 gigawatts of geothermal power, which the report authors say is more than 15 times the amount of capacity the state had in 2023.
Combine the right geology with what Prueher called an easy permitting process, and then add in an oil and gas workforce that could be trained to work in geothermal technology, and you've got an environment that's 'easy and inviting for developers and investors' he said.
The governor said the state helped the deal come together through years of policy and legislative work, but stressed that no taxpayer money would be spent on it. She also said there isn't any state agency rulemaking required or legislation that will need to pass at the upcoming legislative session.
'This is born from all the groundwork all of us have been laying in the state, which is why, frankly, it's a great announcement jointly, and it should be a bit of a celebration,' she said.
The governor's proposal is the latest she's offered that seeks to enable continued growth while confronting the state's arid climate, diminishing water supply and reliance on the oil and gas industry. In 2024, she announced a push for a so-called Strategic Water Supply that sought to create a market for wastewater produced by oil and gas drilling, along with brackish water.
The state's 50-year water plan released last year says the state can expect a 25% reduction in its water supply over the next 50 years, thanks to climate change-caused aridification.
While leaders were tight-lipped about where the projects could go, they said the public is welcome to weigh in via the permitting process.
In a presentation elsewhere in Santa Fe as part of the release of the academic report, Melanie Kenderdine, secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, showed a map that suggested the sites could be in Sandoval, San Miguel, Doña Ana, Catron and Hidalgo counties, and listed an additional 13 other counties that have 'most favorable potential for other sites.'
The state aims to move forward with further projects, Kenderdine told attendees at a conference hosted by Project InnerSpace, a nonprofit pushing for further geothermal projects.
The state has competing needs for the space underground beyond geothermal, Kenderdine said, such as sequestering carbon underground or developing geologic hydrogen as another fuel source.
'We need to do very, very detailed mapping of the New Mexico subsurface and we need to do it quickly,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
2 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale to 2035
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years. The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years. They have been the subject of proposed federal fishing laws that are backed by conservation groups because the whales are threatened by lethal entanglement in commercial fishing gear. The federal government is in the midst of a pause on federal right whale rules until 2028. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and a coalition of fishing organizations said in letters to congressional officials that they want to extend that moratorium out to 2035. Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine's lifesblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales. 'Maine's lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that's just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state's economy, heritage and appeal to visitors,' Golden said in a July 22 letter to a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. The extension of the moratorium was originally proposed by Alaska Republican Nick Begich. It's one of several changes to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Begich, who like Golden represents a state with a large commercial fishing industry. The changes have drawn condemnation from environmental organizations and praise from commercial fishing groups. A group of fishing organizations including the Maine Lobstermen's Association said in a July 21 letter to the subcommittee that 'heavy regulation comes at a heavy cost.' The whales were once numerous off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling and have been slow to recover. They are also threatened by collisions with large ships. The population of the whales fell about 25% from 2010 to 2020.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Fishing groups push to postpone protections for endangered right whale to 2035
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine congressman and several commercial fishing groups are getting behind a push to delay rules designed to protect a vanishing species of whale for 10 years. The North Atlantic right whale numbers only about 370 and has declined over the last 15 years. They have been the subject of proposed federal fishing laws that are backed by conservation groups because the whales are threatened by lethal entanglement in commercial fishing gear. The federal government is in the midst of a pause on federal right whale rules until 2028. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and a coalition of fishing organizations said in letters to congressional officials that they want to extend that moratorium out to 2035. Golden, who played a role in the initial moratorium, said extending the pause would give the government the time it needs to craft regulations that reflect science. He also said it would protect Maine's lifesblood lobster fishing industry, which is one of the fishing sectors that would have to comply with rules intended to protect right whales. 'Maine's lobster fishery has most recently been valued at more than half a billion dollars — and that's just the value of the catch. It also supports tens of thousands of jobs. It is an iconic part of our state's economy, heritage and appeal to visitors,' Golden said in a July 22 letter to a subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. The extension of the moratorium was originally proposed by Alaska Republican Nick Begich. It's one of several changes to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act proposed by Begich, who like Golden represents a state with a large commercial fishing industry. The changes have drawn condemnation from environmental organizations and praise from commercial fishing groups. A group of fishing organizations including the Maine Lobstermen's Association said in a July 21 letter to the subcommittee that 'heavy regulation comes at a heavy cost.' The whales were once numerous off the East Coast, but they were decimated during the era of commercial whaling and have been slow to recover. They are also threatened by collisions with large ships. The population of the whales fell about 25% from 2010 to 2020.
Washington Post
3 hours ago
- Washington Post
Trump's retreat on China chip ban triggers policy spat
Democratic lawmakers took Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his team to task for 'the administration's abrupt and inexplicable decision to reverse course and allow the sale of certain advanced semiconductors' to China, reflecting concerns within both parties that the administration's concessions in trade talks could have longer-term security ramifications. The criticism was conveyed in letters sent to Lutnick on Sunday night and Monday morning. U.S. and Chinese officials are meeting in Stockholm this week for another round of trade talks amid indications that pro-business Silicon Valley voices are winning out over security hawks in steering the Trump administration's China policy.
