Google announces it is ‘exploring’ a potential data center in rural New Mexico county

In a brief blog post with few details published on Monday, Google announced it is “exploring” a potential data center in Lea County, New Mexico.

The tech giant’s announcement did not say what type of data center it hopes to build in Lea County, which includes the oil-rich Permian Basin, or when it might present a detailed proposal to the local Board of County Commissioners. Instead, it stated a goal “to be transparent and start our conversation with the community early” while “many details remain outstanding.”

In an email to Source NM, a Google spokesperson did not answer detailed questions — such as whether the company has a specific location in mind or whether the data center would generate its own power — and wrote that company leaders “look forward to working with elected officials and community leaders to make sure any Google project benefits local residents.”

Google has set up a website for the project, leacountydatacenter.com, which says that company leaders are in talks with local officials to determine “if Lea County is the right fit for a long-term partnership.”

Upon visiting, the website displays a pop-up questionnaire that asks visitors to select their top two priorities for the development from a list of choices that includes: economic opportunities, parks and green spaces, education and schools, water stewardship, workforce incentives and first responders and emergency services. 

The website says water use during construction will average more than 900,000 gallons daily and that its energy source is “likely to be a mix” of solar, wind, batteries and a “moderate amount of firming, gas-powered resources.”

It also says the company expects to create “hundreds of long-term, operational jobs initially” and thousands of construction jobs.

Tyson Pierce, the chair of the Lea County Board of County Commissioners, told Source NM he also did not have many details regarding the site.

He said he did not know if Google was interested in building a hyperscale data center, a term that refers to massive developments that generally service a tech company’s artificial intelligence platforms, or a smaller cloud computing data center.

Several state lawmakers plan to propose a statewide data center moratorium in the upcoming legislative session. Several New Mexico counties, from Santa Fe to Sierra, have adopted moratoria of their own this year as data center developers pitch massive developments across the state.

Pierce said he and his commission colleagues have long been aware that controversy often follows data centers proposals, especially in regions like his that deal with environmental concerns such as water insecurity. So, in February, the commission unanimously adopted a resolution that established specific guidelines for data center developments in the area.

The guidelines state that data centers on a public utility grid in the area cannot raise residents’ or business’ rates; that data center operators must publish annual water use reports; and that the development’s water needs must include separate amounts for cooling, landscaping, on-site power generation, plumbing and “any other uses.”

The resolution also prohibited the use of evaporative cooling.

“I’ve lived here my entire life, so you understand the use of water and where we’re at right now…the water table at my house has dropped considerably,” Pierce said by phone on Tuesday. “We as a commission are going to do everything in our power…to come out on top, no matter what.”