Oracle Announces Water-Conservation Program Tied to Project Jupiter

SANTA TERESA – Oracle has announced a partnership with agricultural technology company Arable that the companies say could conserve approximately 21 million gallons of water annually in the Rio Grande-Bravo watershed.

KVIA-TV reports that Oracle expects the conservation program to save more than 20 times the amount of water required to operate the cooling and power systems planned for the Project Jupiter data center near Santa Teresa.

The initiative will provide participating growers with field sensors that monitor crop water requirements, weather conditions and irrigation systems. The information is intended to help farmers determine irrigation needs using current field conditions instead of relying on fixed watering schedules.

Arable is expected to train participating growers to use and interpret the information collected by the sensors. The company says the technology could help farmers eliminate unnecessary irrigation while maintaining agricultural production.

Oracle Senior Vice President Scott Twaddle said the company’s approach is to minimize water consumption within its New Mexico operations while investing in local projects intended to improve water conservation, infrastructure and availability.

The agricultural initiative will operate within the Rio Grande-Bravo watershed, the same watershed that will supply water to the Project Jupiter facility.

Oracle previously announced a $50 million commitment to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in Doña Ana County. The company has also revised the data center’s proposed energy system to use fuel-cell technology rather than the gas turbines and diesel generators included in earlier plans.

According to Oracle, fuel cells can generate electricity without combustion, reducing emissions and the amount of water required by the facility’s power system.

Oracle estimates Project Jupiter could produce approximately $4.7 billion in economic benefits, support 7,000 construction jobs and create about 1,500 permanent positions. Those projections were provided by the company.