Water security concerns loom over proposed Socorro County green data center

The world’s largest green data center could potentially be built in Socorro County. The proposed facility would generate two gigawatts of power. To achieve this, the company plans to utilize solar panels and battery storage systems spread across approximately 10,000 acres.Jason Bak, CEO of Green Data Centers, believes the project could redefine how the industry operates.”I think New Mexico has the opportunity to create a new template for this whole industry,” Bak said.Bak described the facility as a foundational piece of modern technology.”A datacenter is the backbone of the internet,” he said, adding that the site’s primary function would be specialized. “We anticipate that our use case will be potentially for cloud or potentially for AI uses in the datacenter.” Developers cited New Mexico’s high solar potential as the primary draw for the location. Beyond the technological footprint, Bak stated the company intends to provide local economic and social benefits.”We’ve looked at other projects in the state and out of the state that have contributed money to high schools, money to the community, to improve the standard of living and really pay our fair share,” Bak said.The company has also initiated discussions with New Mexico Tech regarding a potential partnership.Delilah Walsh, CFO of New Mexico Tech, noted that the collaboration could provide significant academic advantages.”Some of the benefits could be actually on the research side. Are there opportunities for our students to learn more, especially as we move forward in AI,” Walsh said. Despite the promised benefits, some local residents have expressed skepticism, particularly regarding the impact on the region’s limited water supply.Matt, a resident of Magdalena, raised concerns about what might happen during a drought.”What do we do when there’s a water shortage here or in Socorro, even, you know, where do we go from there?” he asked.His primary concern involves the maintenance of the cooling systems and the potential for groundwater contamination.”You have to clean those closed-loop systems, which are never actually closed loops. They have to dump all that back somewhere, and it’s just going to go back in the aquifer. You know, what did they use to clean all those pipes with? I don’t personally want to drink it,” Matt said. In response to these concerns, Green Data Centers stated it does not plan to pull water from local aquifers. Instead, the company intends to use atmospheric water generation technology to extract moisture from the air and store it for use.”We’re not going into the desert looking for water,” Bak said. “This could be a solution. The Rio Grande is drying up. This could be a solution for not just this project, but for many areas in the state that need water. And that’s what we’re really hoping to illustrate and nail down the economics of. But we know 100% the technology works. We’re working on the commercial aspect and the commercialization of the technology.”Green Data Centers noted that the project is still in its early planning stages and no official partnership with New Mexico Tech has been finalized.New Mexico Tech is scheduled to host a town hall meeting regarding the proposal on May 19.