Oracle's 2.45 GW Fuel‑Cell Power Plant: Powering a Massive New Mexico Data Center

After reports that OpenAI may miss revenue targets, Oracle remained calm and continued building a massive data‑center complex in the New Mexico desert.

The company announced an expanded partnership with Bloom Energy to deploy a 2.45 GW fuel‑cell generator near the site, a capacity comparable to two or three nuclear reactors. Oracle had previously purchased 1.2 GW of Bloom fuel cells with an option to increase the order to 2.8 GW.

Fuel cells are one of several alternative energy sources large‑scale data‑center operators consider when local utilities cannot meet demand. Other explored options include small modular reactors (SMRs), orbital data centers, gas turbines, and diesel generators.

Oracle originally planned to use a mix of gas and diesel generators, a project codenamed “Jupiter”. Switching to fuel cells is not a sustainability breakthrough because Bloom’s cells run on natural gas; they can be retrofitted for hydrogen, but sourcing sustainable hydrogen is difficult.

The company promotes the fuel‑cell solution as environmentally friendly, noting that electricity is generated without combustion, which reduces smog‑producing emissions, and that fuel cells consume far less water than evaporative cooling systems, which Oracle has decided not to use.

Oracle has not disclosed when the first fuel‑cell‑powered data center will become operational, but it confirmed that construction of the campus has begun and that milestones will proceed as scheduled.