Box Elder County, UT
Stratos Project
Also known as Stratos data center
- Rumored
- Proposed
- Approved
- Under construction
- Operating
A proposed hyperscale data center and on-site power generation campus in unincorporated Box Elder County, Utah, led by Kevin O'Leary's O'Leary Digital with Utah's Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA). May 2026 reporting described up to 9 GW of generation on about 40,000 acres; O'Leary said in June 2026 he would scale the project back, and later reporting cited roughly 20,000 acres. The county commission approved MIDA-related resolutions in May 2026, the county attorney rejected referendum petitions, and lawsuits by residents followed.
Key facts
Size & schedule
| Planned capacity | 9 GW [2] Up to 9 GW of generation reported in May 2026 (another report gave 7.5-9 GW total site capacity); developer said in June 2026 it would scale the project back |
|---|---|
| IT load | 1.1 GW [3] Ten 100 MW data center buildings plus one additional 100 MW facility, per May 2026 renderings/plans |
| Site size | 40,000 acres [3] Across three sites per May 2026 reporting; a June 17, 2026 report described approximately 20,000 acres after the developer announced reductions |
| Permanent jobs (promised) | 2,000 [3] Projected job creation as reported; permanent vs. other not specified |
Power
| Power supply | Self-contained natural gas generation isolated from Utah's grid, with battery storage and a 3,000-acre, 500 MW solar array planned [3] |
|---|---|
| Air permit | No Notice of Intent submitted to Utah DEQ as of May 4, 2026; an Approval Order is required before construction [10]Source excerpt“No Notice of Intent (NOI) has been submitted to date” |
Water
| Water source | Privately owned water rights; pending application for 11 acre-feet per year for power generation after an earlier 1,900 acre-foot application was withdrawn following public objection [3] |
|---|---|
| Cooling | closed-loop [2] |
Money & incentives
| Tax incentives | Project in a MIDA project area; MIDA imposes a Municipal Energy Sales and Use Tax of at least 0.5% on data center campuses [9]Source excerpt“A Municipal Energy Sales and Use Tax ("MET") of at least 0.5% on Data Center Campuses with such adjustments as are necessary, as provided in Section 6(c).” |
|---|---|
| Payments / community benefits | MIDA-County Agreement 26-15: master developer to make three annual upfront payments of $5.4 million to the county, starting with the first building permit; MIDA to adjust its municipal energy tax so the county receives at least $10,000 per MW of installed generation capacity annually [9]Source excerpt“The Master Developer shall make three annual Upfront Payments of $5,400,000.00 per year as described in this Section.” |
Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.
Lawsuits
| Box Elder Accountability Referendum (BEAR) v. Box Elder County | pending [11] Referendum sponsors seek to overturn the county attorney's rejection of their referendum applications on the Stratos resolutions. Utah First District Court · filed Jun 3, 2026 Source excerpt“Attorneys for the Box Elder Accountability Referendum (B.E.A.R.) group filed that appeal on June 3 in the Utah First District Court here seeking to overturn the county's denial of their applications.” |
|---|
Timeline
MIDA announces plans for the Stratos Project [4]
Box Elder County Commission unanimously approves two resolutions (MIDA interlocal agreement and consent to adding private land to project area) amid protests by roughly 1,100 attendees [2]
County Attorney Stephen R. Hadfield rejects referendum applications, calling the resolutions administrative rather than legislative [5]
Referendum group BEAR sues in 1st District Court over referendum rejection; separate civil-rights suit filed by residents and Alliance for a Better Utah [7]
O'Leary tells Senate President J. Stuart Adams by letter he will scale back the project, saying it won't be 'the largest data center in the world' [6]
County adopts 180-day moratorium on new data centers and data center power plants; Stratos exempt because it falls under MIDA [7]
O'Leary says design is 'full steam ahead' and a water permit filing is expected by end of August; MIDA on 'pause' awaiting permit requests [8]
Issues raised
- Residents raised concerns about water use, air quality and the speed of the approval process [4]
- Opponents say residents were denied a public vote; lawsuits challenge the referendum rejection and allege civil-rights violations [5][7]
- A Stewardship Utah poll reported more than 70% of respondents oppose the data center [7]
- O'Leary claimed most protesters were paid out-of-state participants; referendum sponsor Brenna Williams disputed this [4]
Sources
- Stratos Project | Box Elder County, UTBox Elder County · Jun 10, 2026 · government
- Hundreds cry out as Box Elder commissioners wave in massive data centerUtah News Dispatch · May 4, 2026 · news
- Renderings show vision for massive data center proposed in Utah, but permits could take yearsUtah News Dispatch · May 19, 2026 · news
- Box Elder residents organize against Stratos data centerKPCW · May 11, 2026 · news
- Box Elder County residents won't get to vote on data center referendum, county attorney saysUtah News Dispatch · May 28, 2026 · news
- Kevin O'Leary to scale back Utah project — says it won't be 'the largest data center in the world'The Salt Lake Tribune · Jun 4, 2026 · news
- Box Elder County passes moratorium on future data centersUtah Public Radio · Jun 17, 2026 · news
- Designing the Box Elder County data center is 'full steam ahead,' Kevin O'Leary says, while MIDA is on 'pause'The Salt Lake Tribune · Jul 29, 2026 · news
- Box Elder County MIDA Stratos Agreement 26-15Box Elder County · May 4, 2026 · government
- DEQ Letter to Box Elder County CommissionUtah Department of Environmental Quality · May 4, 2026 · government
- Stratos Project opponents file promised referendum appeal with Utah First District CourtCache Valley Daily · Jun 4, 2026 · news