Box Elder County data center plans quietly edging ahead though debate has died down
O'Leary Digital says its proposed data center in Box Elder County is still advancing through pre-development, despite three lawsuits and reduced public debate. The project is undergoing infrastructure, power, water and environmental planning, with a revised water-rights application expected to be submitted to Utah regulators.
O'Leary Digital is continuing pre-development work on the proposed Stratos data center project in Hansel Valley, Box Elder County, despite public controversy and three pending lawsuits. CEO Paul Palandjian said the project is not paused and that its infrastructure, gas supply, power generation, engineering and environmental studies are being refined. The project is being developed with the Utah Military Installation Development Authority and in coordination with Box Elder County.
The proposal includes natural gas-fired generation, potentially reaching 9 gigawatts over time, and water-intensive data center operations. O'Leary Digital says the first phase will be limited to 1.5 gigawatts and that average water consumption at full buildout will remain below 900,000 gallons per day after recycling. Opponents have raised environmental and water concerns and are pursuing lawsuits against O'Leary Digital, Box Elder County and MIDA, while a separate defamation case names O'Leary and Fox News. The company and government defendants are seeking dismissal in some of the cases.