Proposed Utah data center faces environmental concerns, opposition
Plans for the massive "Stratos Project" data center in rural Box Elder County, Utah, have generated significant public and political backlash due to its immense projected electricity and water consumption, and potential environmental impacts like a "heat island" effect near the shrinking Great Salt Lake. Despite initial approval by county commissioners, Governor Spencer Cox has acknowledged the widespread concerns, and opposition continues to mount over the project's scale and its effects on the fragile high-desert environment.
A "hyperscale" data center, dubbed the Stratos Project, proposed for rural Box Elder County, Utah, is facing intense public and political opposition due to its unprecedented scale and potential environmental impact. The project, backed by Kevin O’Leary of "Shark Tank," is planned to span 40,000 acres and would require 9 gigawatts of power, more than double Utah's current electricity use, and increase the state’s carbon emissions by an estimated 64 percent.
Scientists, including Robert Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University, warn the data center, which would be the largest on the planet, could create a massive heat island, potentially raising nighttime temperatures by 28 degrees Fahrenheit and transforming the high-desert valley near the Great Salt Lake into an environment akin to the Sahara Desert. Concerns also center on the project's unknown water needs, as it would be located near the severely shrinking Great Salt Lake. Local residents and environmental advocates have protested the project, with more than 1,000 people showing up to a county meeting to express concerns.
Despite Box Elder County commissioners' approval, citing deference to state agencies, Utah Governor Spencer Cox has since walked back his full support, acknowledging public concerns about water, air quality, energy, and land use. West GenCo, partnering with O’Leary Digital Limited, stated plans to purchase significant water rights for the project. The controversy highlights a growing national trend of communities clashing with tech developers over data centers' resource demands.