Utah residents fear the environmental toll the data centers would cause on the local ecosystem and water levels|CC BY-NC 4.0
A massive data center project in Utah, larger than twice the size of Manhattan, has triggered public outrage over its huge energy demands and pressure on water resources.
The $100 billion “Stratos Project,” backed by investor Kevin O’Leary, was approved by county commissioners on Monday despite thousands of objections lodged by Utah residents.
It will cover more than 40,000 acres of unincorporated land near the fragile Great Salt Lake.
According to O’Leary, the project is a national security necessity that will create 10,000 construction jobs and 2,000 permanent positions.
However, critics warn that the facility’s 9-gigawatt energy demand is more than twice the 4 gigawatts used by the entire state of Utah annually. To power the site, developers plan to build a dedicated natural gas plant.
The project could threaten the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, researchers say. An analysis by a Utah State University professor found the data center’s cooling systems may raise local daytime temperatures by up to 5F and nighttime temperatures by up to 12F.
The county’s population is just over 65,000, and voters have already filed a referendum to overturn the approval. It requires more than 5,000 signatures to reach the November ballot.
Not just in Utah
Public resistance to the construction of AI data centers is high. A March Gallup survey revealed that 71% of Americans oppose building these facilities in their local areas.