Kevin O'Leary's Utah data center project reduced by half after lawmaker negotiations
Kevin O'Leary's proposed 40,000-acre Stratos Project data center in Box Elder County, Utah, has been cut in half to 20,000 acres following negotiations with Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams. The reduction came after Adams, reflecting concerns from residents and environmental groups, demanded a smaller campus and stronger environmental commitments. Critics cited the project's massive water and electricity demands, and its potential impact on the Great Salt Lake.
Shark Tank personality Kevin O'Leary's ambitious data center, known as the Stratos Project, has been significantly scaled back after a contentious negotiation with Utah Senate President J. Stuart Adams. The proposed facility in Box Elder County, Utah, initially planned to span 40,000 acres, was reduced by 50 percent to 20,000 acres following Adams' demands for a smaller footprint and stronger environmental commitments.
Adams' intervention was driven by widespread concerns from Utah residents and environmental groups, including the Sierra Club's Utah chapter. Opponents highlighted the project's immense resource requirements, particularly its projected 9 gigawatts of power consumption—exceeding Utah's current statewide usage—and its potential adverse effects on the fragile Great Salt Lake ecosystem. Franque Bains, director of the Sierra Club’s Utah chapter, emphasized the irresponsibility of approving such a water and energy-intensive project during a crisis for the Great Salt Lake.
O'Leary, a Canadian citizen, has publicly defended the project, framing it as a job creator and a vital component for U.S. defense operations and AI development. He also expressed a desire for the data center to be aesthetically pleasing, eschewing the typical "gray box" design. Despite the setback, O'Leary remains committed to the project and has claimed to have evidence of a "coordinated PR war" against energy infrastructure and data centers, which he intends to present to the Trump administration.