A proposed natural gas pipeline intended to serve the Project Jupiter data center in southern New Mexico has been delayed until at least early 2027, according to recent federal regulatory filings.
A proposed natural gas pipeline intended to serve the Project Jupiter data center in southern New Mexico has been delayed until at least early 2027, according to recent federal regulatory filings.
Energy Transfer’s Green Chile Project was originally expected to enter service this month, Source NM reported, but now has an anticipated in-service date of February 2027, filings with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission show. The roughly $60 million project would transport natural gas from El Paso to Project Jupiter, the Oracle and OpenAI data center development planned for Doña Ana County.
The delay follows opposition to the pipeline’s proposed route across New Mexico state trust land. State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has rejected requests related to construction on state trust land, citing concerns about impacts on the state’s natural resources. Oracle, meanwhile, said Project Jupiter remains on schedule.
The development comes as Energy Transfer pursues a much larger pipeline buildout across the Southwest, Source NM reported. Its proposed Desert Southwest Pipeline Expansion Project would extend more than 500 miles from the Permian Basin near Waha, Texas, through southern New Mexico to Phoenix, Arizona, with data center development among the sources of anticipated natural gas demand.
Federal filings also identify a planned Red Chile Lateral associated with the Desert Southwest expansion near the Green Chile Project. The broader pipeline proposal remains subject to regulatory and environmental review as Energy Transfer seeks to expand natural gas transportation capacity across the region.