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Environment
May 13, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

Utah Approves Controversial Datacenter Project Despite Backlash

AI Summary
The state of Utah has approved a massive datacenter project, Stratos, despite thousands of objections from residents and environmentalists. The project, backed by Kevin O'Leary, will cover over 40,000 acres and require 9GW of power, sparking concerns over its impact on the state's water supplies and ecosystem.

The Approval of Stratos Datacenter

A plan to create one of the world’s largest datacenters, a gargantuan project spanning an area more than twice the size of Manhattan, has provoked a furious public backlash in Utah amid concerns over its vast energy use and impact upon the state’s stressed water supplies.

The Project Details

The Stratos artificial intelligence datacenter footprint will cover more than 40,000 acres (62 sq miles) over three sites in Box Elder county in north-western Utah. The facility will require about 9GW of power, which is more than the entire state of Utah currently consumes, and suck up a significant amount of water in an area that has been hit by severe drought in recent years.

The Environmental Impact

Environmentalists have warned that Stratos could imperil the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, including a critical migratory bird habitat, which is already under severe stress. The lake is shrinking due to water diverted for agriculture and the impact of the climate crisis, placing inhabitants of the nearby Salt Lake City at possible risk of toxic dust clouds as the lake bed dries up.

The Public Backlash

Last week, the project was approved by the county’s commissioners, despite thousands of objections lodged by Utah residents. Nearly 4,000 people have lodged objections to the project being approved, with this pushback leading to contentious public meetings.

The Future Outlook

A group calling itself the Box Elder Accountability Referendum filed an application for a referendum to reverse the commissioners’ approval of Stratos. If the group is able to collect 5,422 signatures from registered voters in the county in the next 45 days, the project approval will go to a vote in November.