New Mexico Data Center Intel

Recent New Mexico data center news

• Oct 9, 2025

  LandBridge Announces Solar Project Transaction with a Leading Energy Infrastructure Developer

  LandBridge Company LLC has finalized the sale of a solar project and received an upfront cash payment plus rights to contingent future cash payments.

  • Transaction details: Sale of a 3,000-acre photovoltaic solar energy generation project located in Reeves County, Texas, with a proposed generation capacity of up to 250 MW; buyer described as an unnamed, publicly-traded energy infrastructure developer; LandBridge received an upfront cash payment and contingent future cash payments tied to developmental milestones.
  • Background and company details: LandBridge owns ~277,000 surface acres across Texas and New Mexico and was formed by Five Point Infrastructure LLC (a private equity firm); the company referenced potential risks and regulatory approvals in its forward-looking statements and noted filings available via the SEC.
• Oct 9, 2025

  New Data Center Developments: October 2025

  Data Center Knowledge published a monthly roundup of global data center project announcements and investments.

  • Main roundup highlights: The article aggregates multiple large-scale AI and data center commitments, notably Nvidia’s $100 billion strategic partnership with OpenAI to deploy 10 GW of GPU systems with “first deployments in the second half of 2026” using Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform; CloudHQ’s $4.8 billion plan to build six data centers in Mexico City with a 900 MW private substation opening in 2027; and regional large investments including Microsoft’s $6 billion Norway deal and Nvidia/OpenAI’s $15 billion UK initiative. It also notes planned construction starts/timelines such as HydraVault beginning construction this fall for a Tier 3-compatible Chicago data center with user buildout access estimated by 2026.
  • Background and other concrete details: The piece lists several energy and infrastructure actions: Centersquare’s $1 billion self-funded acquisition of 10 data centers across the US and Canada; Hitachi Energy’s $1 billion grid investment to support data center growth; Ameresco partnering with the US Navy and CyrusOne to build a 100 MW AI-optimized data center at NAS Lemoore; Pelagos Data Centres’ 250 MW facility near Gibraltar to be built in five phases with the first phase by late 2027; and GreenSquareDC’s 110 MW Sydney campus securing approvals for an initial 15 MW phase expected complete by Q3 2026. For partnerships/deals: Nvidia–OpenAI will deploy GPUs via Vera Rubin and work with infrastructure firms (Nscale/CoreWeave) starting H2 2026; CloudHQ will build six Mexico City data centers and a 900 MW substation opening in 2027.
• Oct 2, 2025

  Hitachi Energy, Grid United Advance North Plains Connector to Link Eastern and Western Grids

  Hitachi Energy and Grid United have formalized an Engineering Services Agreement (ESA) to advance the North Plains Connector (NPC) HVDC project.

  • Announcement details: The ESA (announced Oct. 2, 2025) tasks Hitachi Energy with early-stage engineering services for the ±525 kV, 3-GW, ~420-mile HVDC line between Colstrip, Montana and endpoints in Center and St. Anthony, North Dakota, including technical specifications for two HVDC converter stations, valve hall layouts, control-system architecture, harmonic mitigation studies, dynamic and steady-state modeling, and AC–DC interface definitions for integration with MISO, SPP, and WECC. Grid United will advance corridor refinement, land-rights acquisition, stakeholder engagement, environmental permitting support, and supply-chain sequencing for long-lead items; procurement timelines will be aligned with permitting and construction schedules.

  • Background and concrete project details: The NPC is a $3.2 billion project that received $700 million from DOE’s GRIP program (with a $2.8 billion recipient cost share); Grid United expects approvals in 2026, potential construction begin in 2028, and operation in 2032. An Astrapé/PNNL-reviewed evaluation estimated an ELCC of ~3,550 MW and quantified reliability benefits (~1,800 MW for WECC, 1,350 MW for SPP, 400 MW for MISO). The ESA is an enabling engineering step but does not constitute a final investment decision.

• Sep 27, 2025

  Private equity sees profits in power utilities as electric bills rise and big tech seeks more energy

  BlackRock subsidiary and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have proposed buying Allete, parent of Minnesota Power; the deal faces regulatory review by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission with a potential Oct. 3 vote.

  • Main announcement: A BlackRock subsidiary and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board have proposed a buyout of Allete (parent of Minnesota Power) for $6.2 billion (including $67 a share, a 19% premium). The deal impacts a utility serving ~150,000 customers, could influence whether Google builds a data center in the region, and is scheduled for a possible Oct. 3 vote by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Allete projects it will need $4.3 billion for transmission and clean energy projects over five years and says the buyout will not affect electric rates.
  • Background and other details: Private equity and infrastructure investors (including Blackstone) are pursuing multiple utility transactions (eg: bids for Public Service Company of New Mexico and Texas New Mexico Power Co; earlier sales in Wisconsin and a 19.9% stake sale in Northern Indiana). An administrative law judge (Megan J. McKenzie) recommended rejecting the Allete deal, and commission staff warned private investors could leverage the utility with debt to capture higher regulated returns. Opponents (eg: Energy and Policy Institute, state attorney general) cite risks of higher rates; supporters include building trades unions and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration.
• Sep 24, 2025

  OpenAI Expands Stargate With Five New Data Center Sites Across US

  OpenAI announced it plans to invest roughly $400 billion to develop five new US data center sites in partnership with Oracle and SoftBank Group, part of a broader pledge to spend $500 billion on domestic AI infrastructure over the next four years.

  • Main action: OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank will develop five new Stargate-branded data center sites across Texas, New Mexico and Ohio, totaling 7 GW of capacity (comparable to some cities). The three Oracle-partnered sites account for >5.5 GW (including a 600 MW expansion near Abilene); the two SoftBank-partnered sites (Lordstown, Ohio and Milam County, Texas) total 1.5 GW with the Ohio site expected to be operational by next year and the Milam site now breaking ground. Financing will be via a mix of cash and debt; OpenAI cited a related $100 billion investment deal with Nvidia that should ease debt financing.
  • Background and details: The commitment advances an earlier $500 billion domestic infrastructure pledge and builds on a July agreement with Oracle to develop up to 4.5 GW of additional Stargate capacity (about $300 billion of the newly announced $400B). OpenAI said the expansion will support services such as ChatGPT (used by ~700 million weekly users) and noted broader industry spending (Meta, Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft) of roughly $344 billion for the year toward AI/data centers.
• Sep 10, 2025

  Climate Change Solutions - September 9, 2025

  The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) published a newsletter highlighting recent climate solutions, Congressional activity, briefings, and an upcoming AI-and-energy event.

  • Main announcement: EESI summarizes new content and events including articles on passive and sustainable cooling, grid resilience to heat waves, and a new Nature4Communities tool from U.S. Nature4Climate; it also hosted a briefing with the Ohio River Basin Alliance as part of its Resilient and Healthy Rivers series. Key figures and policy items cited include $57.3 billion in FY2026 discretionary funding in H.R.4553 (Energy and Water appropriations), a noted reduction of $766.4 million from 2025 levels, an authorizing proposal of $10 million to DOE under H.R.4490 (Wildfire Grid Resiliency Act), and $30 million annually directed to local officials under H.R.5154 (REACT Act).
  • Background and upcoming actions: The newsletter catalogs Congressional bills and hearings, media coverage, and events; it also announces an EESI briefing on AI and energy.
    • Event: “Artificial Intelligence: Implications for Energy and the Environment”
      • Date: Thursday, September 25
      • Time: 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
      • Location: Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Room 2168) and online (livecast/RSVP link provided)
    • Other details: Highlight notes available for the 28th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policy Forum and EXPO; a cited statistic: every $1 invested in transit generates $5 in economic returns.
• Aug 12, 2025 · RMI

  Reality Check: We Have What’s Needed to Reliably Power the Data Center Boom, and It’s Not Coal Plants

  RMI authors (Gabriella Tosado, Ashtin Massie, Joe Daniel) state that clean, resilient resources already exist to meet data center-driven electricity demand growth and that keeping aging coal plants online for reliability is misguided.

  • Confirmed findings & data:>20% projected load growth by 2035 driven by data centers; Virginia accounts for 13% of global and 25% of US reported data center capacity; coal plant capacity accreditation often ~83% (ESIG/PJM) with examples like Colstrip at 54%; average coal cold-start >12 hours and typical ramp 4% per minute (~20+ minutes for large events); MISO congestion costs > $1 billion/year documented.
  • Planned initiatives & concrete solutions: RMI finds >95% of future demand can be met with clean options including 50+ GW energy efficiency, 60 GW of VPPs by 2030 (with programs enrollable in under 6 months; Virginia bill requires 450 MW VPPs), 80+ GW incremental peak capacity from grid-enhancing transmission, 14 GW of retiring fossil sites available for clean repowering, and >30 GW Power Couples under $100/MWh (and >50 GW under $200/MWh). These are presented as implementable options rather than speculative outcomes.
• Apr 8, 2025

  A surprise contender for cooling computers: lasers

  Sandia National Laboratories, in collaboration with Minnesota-based startup Maxwell Labs and the University of New Mexico, has entered into a cooperative research and development agreement to test laser-based photonic cooling technology for computer chips. This technology aims to regulate chip temperature, significantly reduce power consumption, and increase the efficiency of existing air and water cooling systems. The project focuses on creating micrometer-thin gallium arsenide-based components for this new cooling method, which could have transformative effects on data centers where energy costs are a growing concern.

• Apr 7, 2025

  Request for Information on Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure on DOE Lands

  The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) to explore opportunities for AI infrastructure development on its lands. This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance AI capabilities in the U.S. and maintain leadership in the field. The RFI targets industry input on potential development approaches and operational models for AI data centers at select DOE sites, aiming for operational commencement by the end of 2027. Responses to this RFI are due by May 7, 2025.

• Apr 2, 2025

  Avangrid activates 300,000 solar panel project in Ohio

  Avangrid has commenced delivering electricity from the 150 MW Powell Creek solar project in Putnam County, Ohio. The project, approved in 2021, is actively exporting electricity to the local grid and is expected to generate enough power for approximately 30,000 homes annually. It created 500 jobs during peak construction and is projected to generate $31 million in taxes, supporting local public services.