Utah Approves Gargantuan Data Center Project

Utah has approved a tech project so big it would sprawl over an area almost the size of Washington, DC—and it's already setting off a political and environmental brawl. The Stratos AI data center complex, planned for roughly 62 square miles in Box Elder County, would need about 9 gigawatts of power, more than double what the entire state currently uses, and significant water in a region grappling with drought and a shrinking Great Salt Lake, the Guardian reports. Environmental groups warn the mega-facility could boost the state's emissions by about 50%, further dry an "already in active collapse" watershed, and even raise local temperatures by several degrees, according to one physics professor's analysis.

Robert Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University, tells the Salt Lake Tribune that the "heat island" effect in the Hansel Valley would devastate the area's ecology. He says the project would be the size of 2,000 Walmart Supercenters, but with the energy footprint of 40,000 Supercenters. Backed by Shark Tank investor Kevin O'Leary, who touts thousands of jobs and a US edge over China in AI, the project has drawn nearly 4,000 objections and raucous public meetings. A Box Elder County Commission meeting last week became so rowdy that a commissioner told the audience to "grow up," CNN reports. Commissioners then retreated to a private room, where they unanimously approved the project.

Opponents are pushing for a countywide referendum and bristling at O'Leary's claims that protesters are paid outsiders. The developers recently pulled a water-diversion application and plan to refile through a different process, which would invalidate earlier objections and add a $15 fee per complaint—something critics call a sidestep of public resistance. Gov. Spencer Cox said Friday that the project must not harm the Great Salt Lake or raise power bills, the Guardian reports. The Republican governor, who asked Utahns last year to pray for an end to drought conditions, said the project would be built in phases, with reviews required before it scales up.