Oracle asks FERC to expedite New Mexico gas pipeline for Project Jupiter

Oracle has asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to expedite approval of a 17.8-mile natural gas pipeline to feed its 2.5GW Project Jupiter data center campus in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, according to Bloomberg. The Green Chile line would carry about 400 million cubic feet of gas a day to on-site fuel cells supplied by Bloom Energy, the report says. Bloom Energy has signed offtake deals with other data center operators.

Oracle told FERC the development is projected to support nearly 5,800 peak construction jobs and generate up to $1.1 billion in annual economic output for the county, according to the company's filing.

The request follows a state-level setback. In July, regulators rejected Energy Transfer's application to build a new gas pipeline to the site, citing large-scale water use, increased CO2 emissions and a lack of state revenue generation, according to the coverage. Oracle said afterward that the project remained on schedule. In September, Oracle sent a force majeure notice to Blue Owl Capital, according to reports at the time, over potential cost increases if the facility does not come online in 2028 as planned. The mechanism would let Oracle delay payments rather than forfeit its tenancy.

The pipeline's operational date is now set for February 2027, past an August target, and reports describe growing concern that the data center could slip as well. Environmental groups and New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez have asked FERC to broaden its review, arguing the agency should evaluate the combined footprint of the data center and the pipeline before granting approval. Oracle has described the line as needed to feed the campus. Reports say the company has hauled compressed natural gas to its Salt Lake City and Texas data centers for the past year and is considering the same approach for Project Jupiter.

Oracle has also been assembling firm supply elsewhere: in September, this publication reported its 433 MW contract with RWE. FERC has become a venue for the terms on which large loads draw power; in October the commission approved Duke Energy Carolinas large-load rules requiring a committed revenue contribution equal to 75% of the megawatt value in the load schedule for 15 years.