Why It Matters
A proposed data center complex in Box Elder County, Utah, is drawing significant attention across the Mountain West as one of the largest technology infrastructure projects ever proposed in the region. With the potential to reshape energy consumption, water use, and local employment, the project’s outcome could influence how neighboring states like Idaho approach similar large-scale tech development in rural areas.
What Happened
O’Leary Digital, the developer behind the so-called Stratos Project, has released initial renderings showing what its proposed data center campus in unincorporated Box Elder County could look like. The developer is chaired by Kevin O’Leary, the well-known investor and television personality from the series “Shark Tank.”
The concept drawings depict glass and wood-facade buildings arranged in rectangular clusters against the backdrop of Utah’s mountains. The plans call for a campus featuring ten 100-megawatt data center buildings, an additional 100-megawatt facility, a natural gas power generation site paired with battery storage, a 3,000-acre solar array capable of producing 500 megawatts, and a mixed-use development zone called “Downtown Wonder Valley.”
The full project footprint would cover roughly 40,000 acres split across three separate sites. One site is envisioned to house data center operations and an energy plant capable of generating between 7.5 and 9 gigawatts of power — approximately double the current total energy consumption of the entire state of Utah.
By the Numbers
- 40,000 acres of land in Box Elder County spread across three sites
- 7.5 to 9 gigawatts of power generation capacity proposed — roughly double Utah’s current statewide consumption
- 2,000 jobs projected within the development area, per an independent state authority’s expectations
- 2+ years estimated minimum before environmental permits could be issued, according to state regulators
- 1,900 acre-feet of spring water sought in one permit application, which was withdrawn after thousands of public objections were filed
A Long Road to Approval
Despite the polished renderings, state officials are clear that the project remains far from breaking ground. Box Elder County recently approved an interlocal agreement with the Military Installation Development Authority, a move that established a framework for development review. However, the developer must still submit a formal master plan, clear subdivision and site plan requirements, and satisfy both state and federal environmental standards before any building permit can be issued.
A development review committee — six of seven members to be selected by Box Elder County — is expected to be appointed at either the June or July authority meeting. The committee will evaluate the developer’s master plan before any further approvals move forward.
On the environmental side, Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality has not yet received any applications related to water or air quality from the developer. The agency’s commissioner noted it could take at least two years to work through the state permitting process, though the timeline could stretch longer depending on what the developer ultimately proposes. Before applying for an air permit alone, the developer must first conduct a full year of air quality monitoring and then demonstrate compliance with federal emissions standards across multiple categories.
“It could be sooner than that, it could be longer than that,” the agency’s commissioner said. “Depends on what they bring us.”
Public opposition has already surfaced. Backers withdrew one application to draw 1,900 acre-feet of spring water after thousands of Utahns filed formal objections. A second, smaller application — seeking roughly 11 acre-feet annually, primarily for power generation — remains pending. A 30-day public comment period and public hearing will be part of the environmental review process. Debate in Box Elder County has intensified in recent weeks, with residents and project supporters exchanging sharp arguments over the development’s long-term impact.
What’s Next
Regulators expect the formal permitting process to unfold over the next several years. Appointment of development review committee members is anticipated this summer, followed by submission and evaluation of a master plan. Environmental permit applications — covering air and water quality — have not yet been filed and will require extensive pre-application work by the developer.
Community members will have formal opportunities to weigh in through public comment periods as permitting advances. As large-scale data centers continue to proliferate across the West, driven by demand for artificial intelligence and cloud computing infrastructure, resource pressures including energy and water availability are increasingly shaping how regulators and residents respond to such proposals.
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