Data Center Census

Tooele County, UT

Tooele Valley data center (Burmester Road / I-80)

Also known as Interstate Technology Park, Interstate Business Park, Tooele Valley Project Area

PausedTooele County halted data center applications pending a new ordinance (planning commission Oct 2026, county council Nov 2026)
  1. Rumored
  2. Proposed
  3. Approved
  4. Under construction
  5. Operating
  6. Paused

Developer Chuck Akerlow is pursuing a data center within a 585-acre Utah Inland Port Authority project area near Burmester Road and I-80 at the south end of the Great Salt Lake. The larger development also includes warehouses, light manufacturing, and a truck stop. The Salt Lake Tribune describes the data center as 500 MW. The Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District has sought a state permit to discharge up to 260,000 gallons per day of reverse-osmosis brine toward the lake. The plans are on pause while Tooele County writes a data center ordinance, and the developer says the project depends on port authority financing.

Key facts

Size & schedule

Planned capacity500 MW [3]
Site size585 acres [1]
UIPA project area; advocacy group UPHE cites 1,200 acres

Power

Power supplyNatural gas line with 140 MW capacity; developer claims a letter of intent for a nuclear plant [1]

Water

Water sourceGroundwater treated by reverse osmosis; brine discharged toward Great Salt Lake (up to 0.26 MGD at full build-out, ~29,000 gpd Phase I) [4]
Water permitUPDES discharge permit UT0026409 (draft, public notice June 16, 2026) for the Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District reverse-osmosis treatment plant [4]
Permittee: Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District (TVPID)
Source excerpt
“UT0026409”

Money & incentives

Tax incentivesRelies on Utah Inland Port Authority bonds and public infrastructure financing [1]

Local decisions & site

Parcel / addressBurmester – I-80 Interchange, Tooele County, UT 84029 [4]
Facility location listed in UPDES permit notice
Source excerpt
“Burmester – I-80 Interchange, Tooele County, UT 84029”

Figures are as stated by the cited source. Where sources disagree, each figure is shown.

Upcoming hearings

  • Oct 2026 — Tooele County Planning Commission: Expected consideration of data center ordinance [1]
  • Nov 2026 — Tooele County Council: Expected consideration of data center ordinance [1]

Timeline

  1. Utah Inland Port Authority board approves creation of the Tooele Valley Project Area and adopts its plan. [7]

  2. UIPA board unanimously creates the Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District (Resolution 2024-04). [7]

  3. Tooele Valley Project Area Plan Amendment #1 adds 342 acres to the project area. [8]

  4. Utah DWQ draft public notice for TVPID reverse-osmosis water treatment plant discharge permit [4]

  5. Utah Division of Water Quality holds public hearing on the discharge permit [6]

  6. Tooele County Planning Commission hearing on new data center ordinance (Land Use Ordinance Chapter 34) [5]

  7. Planning Commission tables the truck stop plat application pending a third-party study and tables the data center ordinance to include public comment in its report [2]

  8. Utah News Dispatch reports plans paused while county drafts ordinance [1]

Issues raised

  • Conservation groups say the brine discharge could harm Great Salt Lake wetlands and Gilbert Bay [6]
  • Residents raised water, traffic, and environmental concerns, and questioned siting in a lower-income community [2]
  • A TooeleCARES petition with 1,100+ signers opposes port authority financing [1]

Sources

  1. Concerns swirl over a developer's push for a Tooele Valley data center, but plans are on pause
    Utah News Dispatch · Sep 3, 2026 · news
  2. Tooele County residents worry proposed changes could bring a data center to the area
    Utah Public Radio · Aug 13, 2026 · news
  3. Utahns speak out as yet another data center is planned near the Great Salt Lake
    The Salt Lake Tribune · Jul 28, 2026 · news
  4. PN DRAFT Official Draft Public Notice Version June 16th, 2026 (TVPID RO Water Treatment Plant)
    Utah Division of Water Quality · Jun 16, 2026 · government
  5. Notice of Public Hearing (Tooele County Planning Commission, data center ordinance)
    Tooele County / Utah Public Notice Website · Jul 2026 · government
  6. Conservation groups push back against proposed water treatment plant near Great Salt Lake
    KSL.com · Jul 27, 2026 · news
  7. Tooele Valley (REVAMP)
    Utah Inland Port Authority · government
  8. Tooele Valley: A Utah Inland Port Project Area — Project Area Plan, Amendment #1
    Utah Inland Port Authority · Sep 12, 2025 · government