Utah Outdoor Community Sounds Alarm Over Proposed Massive Data Center Near Great Salt Lake
A proposed 40,000-acre hyperscale AI data center, the Stratos Project, in Box Elder County, Utah, is facing intense opposition from outdoor enthusiasts and local communities. Concerns center around the project's massive thermal footprint and water demands, which opponents fear will accelerate the collapse of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and degrade the state's snowpack. The project's approval process, which bypassed standard zoning and environmental reviews via a state board, has also sparked public frustration and protests.
The Stratos Project, a proposed 40,000-acre hyperscale A.I. data center campus in Box Elder County’s Hansel Valley, Utah, is drawing significant backlash from skiers, snowboarders, and outdoor enthusiasts. Backed by TV personality Kevin O’Leary’s O’Leary Digital and developer West GenCo, the project is designed for a staggering 9 gigawatts of power, making it the largest data complex ever proposed globally.
Opponents, including local researchers and academics like Robert Davies from Utah State University and Ben Abbott from Brigham Young University, fear the facility's projected 16 gigawatts of thermal energy will create a severe artificial heat island, increasing local temperatures and pushing the semi-arid ecosystem toward a Sahara Desert-like climate. This, combined with plans to secure up to 13,000 acre-feet of local water rights (estimated at four billion gallons annually), is expected to skyrocket evaporation rates, further dry out the Great Salt Lake, and create toxic dust storms that threaten the state's snowpack and winter recreation.
The approval process, led by the three-member Box Elder County Commission and Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), has fueled deep public frustration. Critics, including environmental advocate Caroline Gleich, argue that the project bypassed regular county zoning channels, standard environmental reviews, and public hearings by advancing through MIDA, an unelected state board, under a military pretext. Over 1,000 residents protested a county hearing, and a petition with over 7,000 signatures was delivered to Governor Spencer Cox, who initially endorsed the project but has since moderated his tone. Activists are demanding a halt to the project until comprehensive environmental guardrails are in place, with a second major protest scheduled at the State Capitol.