Amid questions and concerns, Box Elder County leaders delay action on data center proposal

Box Elder County commissioners deferred action on the "Stratos Project," a large data center proposal, during a contentious special meeting. The delay stems from public concern over the project's potential environmental impact, specifically its substantial water consumption and effects on the Great Salt Lake. Commissioners stated they need more time to review the proposal and plan to revisit it on May 4. The project, backed by Canadian investor Kevin O'Leary and Alpine-based West GenCo in partnership with Utah's Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), entails developing a significant AI and cloud computing data center campus across 40,000 acres of unincorporated county land. The proposal includes on-site natural-gas-fired power generation with a 7.5 gigawatt capacity and promises 2,000 permanent jobs. Critics, including Peggy Kluthe of Indivisible Ogden, voiced strong opposition, fearing the project would exacerbate the Great Salt Lake's struggling water levels. Thor Dorosh, also with Ogden Indivisible, criticized the perceived lack of transparency and environmental studies. MIDA project manager Hilary Venable and West GenCo's Austin Pritchett countered by stating the data centers would use closed-loop cooling and air-cooling technologies, minimizing water demand, and that only a fraction of secured water rights would be utilized. They also highlighted the project's contribution to military readiness and substantial tax revenue for the county.