New Mexico

Oil & gas and construction news for subcontractors working in New Mexico — 101 stories and counting.

Congress Extends BLM Drilling-Permit Fund, Trump Signature Next

Congress passed the License to Drill Act, reauthorizing the industry-funded fund that supports BLM drilling-permit reviews for another decade. The bill awaits President Trump's signature and creates no bid stage for subcontractors.

3d ago

Industry

Senate Permitting Bill Would End Utilities' Right to Build New Regional Lines

A bipartisan Senate bill would give FERC project-by-project transmission siting authority and eliminate the federal right of first refusal for incumbent utilities. Amendments are expected in November.

Oct 3, 2026

Industry

Matador Closes $1.255B Paloma Deal, Adds 156 Locations in NM

Matador Resources closed its $1.255 billion Paloma acquisition, adding about 16,500 net acres in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico. It plans to drill up to 25 wells on the acreage by year-end 2027 and will detail fourth-quarter plans in early November.

Oct 2, 2026

Editorial image: Pad-building equipment at dawn - Matador Closes $1.255B Paloma Deal, Adds 156 Locations in NM

Industry

Data Center Builders Pivot to Onsite Power as Obstacles Mount

Data center demand is still strong, but permitting fights, grid limits and equipment backlogs are pushing developers toward onsite generation and flexible designs. Electrical, mechanical, piping and civil subs should price those scopes and document schedule risk.

Oct 1, 2026

Editorial image: Crew at onsite data center power - Data Center Builders Pivot to Onsite Power as Obstacles Mount

Industry

Oracle's Force Majeure Notice Exposes Permitting Risk on $Multibillion NM Data Center

Oracle issued a force majeure notice on its New Mexico Project Jupiter data center campus as a 2,462-MW fuel-cell microgrid awaits a state permit and a supporting gas pipeline's in-service date slips to February 2027, ENR reports.

Sep 28, 2026

Industry

U.S. Rig Count Up Four to 599; Gas Rigs Climb to Highest Level Since July 2023

Baker Hughes reports the US oil and gas rig count rose to 599 for a third straight weekly gain, with gas rigs at their highest since 2023 as EIA forecasts rising output into 2026.

Sep 25, 2026

Editorial image: Rig crew staffing up, midday - U.S. Rig Count Up Four to 599; Gas Rigs Climb to Highest Level Since July 2023

Workforce

Data Centers Drive Construction Starts Up 17% as Housing, Industrial Work Slide

Dodge Construction Network data cited by Engineering News-Record shows total construction starts up 17% year-to-date, with data center and office construction up 118% while residential and warehouse work decline.

Sep 24, 2026

Editorial image: Night data center construction site - Data Centers Drive Construction Starts Up 17% as Housing, Industrial Work Slide

Industry

Congress Debates Who Pays for Data Center Grid Upgrades

A House bill passed 417-3 would push states toward making large data centers cover the cost of power infrastructure built to serve them, but a stalled Senate effort shows the fight over grid cost allocation is far from settled.

Sep 21, 2026

Industry

Goodnight Midstream Breaks Ground on Estacado Water Pipeline in New Mexico

Goodnight Midstream has started construction on the 90-mile Estacado produced-water pipeline in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico, with service expected by early 2027.

Sep 19, 2026

Editorial image: Dawn aerial pipeline trench construction - Goodnight Midstream Breaks Ground on Estacado Water Pipeline in New Mexico

Industry

H&MV CEO Warns High-Voltage Labor Shortage Could Slow Data Center Builds

H&MV Engineering CEO P.J. Flanagan tells ENR that gigawatt-scale data center campuses are outpacing high-voltage labor and equipment supply, as the firm plans 1,000 new U.S. jobs over five years.

Sep 17, 2026

Editorial image: Substation transformer delivery bottleneck scene - H&MV CEO Warns High-Voltage Labor Shortage Could Slow Data Center Builds

Industry

Power Boom Forecast Hides a Construction-Readiness Gap

A new MSI Economics forecast projects $150 billion in annual U.S. power-generation construction by 2030, but equipment shortages and interconnection delays mean only a fraction of announced capacity is actually financeable or buildable near-term.

Sep 15, 2026

Industry

Manufacturers Plan Nearly $2B in US Facility Investments This Fall

US Steel, USA Rare Earth, Array Technologies and four other manufacturers are pouring nearly $2 billion into new and expanded US facilities, creating fresh construction and skilled trade work across six states.

Sep 15, 2026

Editorial image: New manufacturing plant under construction - Manufacturers Plan Nearly $2B in US Facility Investments This Fall

Industry

EIA Sees Record US Crude Output in 2026 on Permian, Gulf Gains

The EIA forecasts US crude oil production will average a record 13.8 million b/d in 2026, driven by Permian basin growth and new Gulf of Mexico projects.

Sep 12, 2026

Editorial image: Permian tank battery at dusk - EIA Sees Record US Crude Output in 2026 on Permian, Gulf Gains

Industry

SMR Deals Signal Early Nuclear Buildout Work for Certified Subs

Utility Dive reports hyperscaler-backed small modular reactor deals are moving advanced nuclear toward commercial deployment, creating a coming wave of specialized civil, electrical, and mechanical subcontracting work for firms with nuclear-grade quality certifications.

Sep 6, 2026

Editorial image: Nuclear SMR construction site twilight - SMR Deals Signal Early Nuclear Buildout Work for Certified Subs

Industry

PJM Stands to Gain Most From New Transmission Study, $6.7B in Benefits

A new study from S&P Global's CERA Consulting finds 13 high-value transmission projects could deliver $15.3 billion in net benefits through 2050, with PJM capturing the largest share, pointing to a wave of upcoming transmission work.

Sep 3, 2026

Editorial image: Transmission tower construction at dusk - PJM Stands to Gain Most From New Transmission Study, $6.7B in Benefits

Industry

UK Firm Redirects Capital to Permian, Calls Home Market Uninvestable

BritENERGY Group is acquiring a controlling stake in 13 New Mexico wells targeting 5 MMbbl of production by 2032, part of a broader pullback from UK oil and gas investment.

Aug 30, 2026

Editorial image: Permian well pad plus solar site - UK Firm Redirects Capital to Permian, Calls Home Market Uninvestable

Industry

EON Kicks Off 92-Well Horizontal Drilling Program in New Mexico

EON Resources subsidiary LH Operating has spudded the first of 92 planned horizontal wells in the Grayburg-Jackson Field in Eddy County, New Mexico, with drilling set to continue into 2027 and beyond.

Aug 30, 2026

Editorial image: Multi-well horizontal drilling program, dusk desert - EON Kicks Off 92-Well Horizontal Drilling Program in New Mexico

Industry

Targa Plans Three Gas Plants, New Pipeline in Delaware Basin

Targa Resources will build three new natural gas processing plants in the Delaware Basin with combined capacity of 825 MMcf/d, plus a 70-mile pipeline, as part of a $5 billion FY2026 capital plan.

Aug 29, 2026

Editorial image: Aerial night view, multi-plant pipeline buildout - Targa Plans Three Gas Plants, New Pipeline in Delaware Basin

Industry

Bernalillo County Approves $1.2B DESRI Solar-Storage Project

Bernalillo County approved $1.2 billion in industrial revenue bonds for a 400 MW solar and 400 MW battery storage project on Albuquerque's West Side, with DESRI starting construction late this year and 1,622 direct and indirect construction jobs projected.

Aug 27, 2026

Industry

BLM Lease Sales Net $139 Million Across OK, TX and NM

The Bureau of Land Management raked in more than $139 million from its latest quarterly oil and gas lease sale in Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, signaling continued drilling interest on federal land.

Aug 24, 2026

Industry

Permian Pipeline Gains May Hit a Processing Wall by 2028

New long-haul pipelines could solve Permian gas takeaway by 2028, but NGI reporting shows gas treating capacity for CO2, nitrogen and sour gas may lag behind, risking localized curtailments for midstream contractors.

Aug 23, 2026

Editorial image: Gas treating equipment bottleneck at night - Permian Pipeline Gains May Hit a Processing Wall by 2028

Industry

July Construction Starts Jump 25.6% as Megaprojects Drive Volatility

Dodge Construction Network reports total construction starts rebounded 25.6% in July after a June slump, with data centers, manufacturing, and utility projects fueling a "disjointed" market.

Aug 22, 2026

Industry

Select Water Solutions Expands Permian Pipeline Network With $120M New Mexico Buildout

Select Water Solutions will invest up to $120 million to add 100 miles of pipeline and new recycling capacity in southeastern New Mexico's Northern Delaware Basin, backed by an amended 12-year water-management deal, Engineering News-Record reports.

Aug 20, 2026

Editorial image: pipeline joint being laid, golden-hour - Select Water Solutions Expands Permian Pipeline Network With $120M New Mexico Buildout

Industry

DOE Cancels Three Federal Grid Corridor Designations

The Department of Energy has withdrawn plans to designate three National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, cutting a batch of long-haul transmission routes from the federal permitting pipeline.

Aug 18, 2026

Industry

US Rig Count Climbs to 593 as Oklahoma Adds Rig

Baker Hughes data shows the U.S. rig count rose to 593 last week while Oklahoma gained one rig to reach 51, pointing to steady near-term work for drilling and completions crews.

Aug 16, 2026

Editorial image: Aerial multi-rig basin at golden-hour - US Rig Count Climbs to 593 as Oklahoma Adds Rig

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