Stratos Project
waiting on permits Depth record
O'Leary Digital and the Military Installation Development Authority propose a data center campus with an onsite natural gas power plant on about 40,000 acres of unincorporated land in Hansel Valley, north of the Great Salt Lake, after Box Elder County commissioners consented to the MIDA project area on 2026-05-04.
Last verified
- Where it stands
- waiting on permits
- Who is building it
- O'Leary Digital
- How much power it needs
- 9 GW
- What it is for
- AI, type not stated, Cloud, Government and defense
- Who it serves
- Multi tenant
- County
- Box Elder County
- First recorded
- September 4, 2026
Location is approximate. This record is placed at a county centroid because a parcel or address level location is not in the public record.
The site
Colors are how each place treats data centers, from open to closed; pins are projects, colored by where each stands. Tap once for the summary, again to open the record.
Details
Colors show how each state treats data centers, from open to closed, based on the rules its counties and cities have passed. A state takes the color of its strictest rule. Grey means we have records there but no rule yet.
Pins are projects. The color says where each one stands, from rumored to running; the size says how much power it would use, where that has been disclosed. A hollow pin means we know the town but not the exact site.
Tap a state to see its counties and projects. Tap a pin for the quick facts, and tap again to open its full record.
- Open green
- Case by case yellow
- Restrictive orange
- Closed red
- No published rating
A state's rating is the most restrictive published jurisdiction rating in the state. Ratings sit on the jurisdictions themselves in the state view. A county or city shaded grey has at least one record.
- rumored rumored
- proposed proposed
- waiting on permits permitting
- approved approved
- being built under_construction
- running operational
- stalled stalled
- cancelled cancelled
- approximate location (city or county centroid)
Pin radius is 7 pixels where capacity is not disclosed, and scales from 7 to 18 pixels between 0 and 1,000 MW where it is.
- the record's location
- parcel outline, from the county parcel record
- county boundary
Other pins are the published projects in the same state. The imagery beneath is the USGS national orthoimagery, public domain, shown so the land around the site can be read.
- How exactly it is located
- county centroid
- The parcel
- No parcel outline in the public record
- Nearest homes
- Not computed
No distance to homes is computed for a record placed at a centroid, because a distance from an approximate point would be an estimate. Other pins are the published projects in UT; tap one for its summary.
What has been disclosed
| Figure | Value | Who says so | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much power it needs | 9 GW | not disclosed | |
| How much water it would use | Not disclosed | ||
| How loud it would be | Not disclosed | ||
| Jobs once it runs | Not disclosed | ||
| Tax it would pay each year | Not disclosed |
Each figure says who gave it. The developer's figure is what the company said; what a permit allows is the ceiling a permit sets; measured means observed. Nothing here is estimated by the record. Water is in gallons a day or a year, whichever the source stated; a tax claim given as a range shows both ends, each linked to the source that gave it.
What it is for and whom it serves
- AI, type not stated Share not disclosed midaut.org
- Cloud Share not disclosed midaut.org
- Government and defense Share not disclosed midaut.org
- Tenancy
- Multi tenant
- Tenants
- Not disclosed
- Promises to the community
- Leaseback agreements for grazing, ranching and farming on the project land; AI curriculum with local schools
- Source
- midaut.org
What happened, and when
- Reported September 1, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
Kevin O'Leary, backed by investor, plans to rename Hansel Valley to Wonder Valley csmonitor.com, query feed
- Reported September 1, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
The Stratos Project was approved in May by an obscure Utah commission csmonitor.com, query feed
- Reported September 1, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
The Stratos Project is set to take over 20,000 acres of desert brush and farmland in Box Elder County, abutting the Great Salt Lake csmonitor.com, query feed
- Reported August 27, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
A hyperscale data center was proposed in Box Elder County and faced opposition sltrib.com, query feed
- Reported August 21, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
Another fire is burning north of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge sltrib.com, query feed
- Reported August 21, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
The Salt Wells Fire is burning in Box Elder County's Hansel Valley, where the Stratos data center and energy campus is planned sltrib.com, query feed
- Reported August 20, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
Litigation over referendum challenging Box Elder County Commission's vote to consent to MIDA project area has complicated future of Stratos utahnewsdispatch.com, query feed
- Reported August 20, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
Cox proposed changes to MIDA in 2025 but they did not pass utahnewsdispatch.com, query feed
- August 20, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
The Military Installation Development Authority gave an initial green light to the Stratos data center project in Box Elder County utahnewsdispatch.com, query feed
- August 20, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
Governor Spencer Cox said at his monthly news conference that the Stratos approval process was not good and that he would push legislation to reform the Military Installation Development Authority, including a larger role for the governor's office. fox13now.com, local outlet
- Reported August 19, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
Box Elder County commissioners approved the plan in May despite vocal opposition finance.yahoo.com, query feed
- Reported August 19, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
Stratos project was originally pitched at up to 9 gigawatts across a 40,000 acre site near the Great Salt Lake finance.yahoo.com, query feed
- Reported August 13, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
O'Leary agreed to cut the project by half to 20,000 acres after public outcry moneywise.com, query feed
- Reported August 13, 2026 (source date; the content gives no date of its own) waiting on permits
The project was initially proposed at 40,000 acres moneywise.com, query feed
- June 10, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
Box Elder County commissioners passed a 180 day moratorium on new data centers and data center power plants on unincorporated county land, which county officials said does not apply to the Stratos project area under MIDA's land use authority. upr.org, local outlet
- May 28, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
Box Elder County Attorney Stephen R. Hadfield rejected three referendum applications, finding the commission's resolutions were administrative actions that cannot be referred to voters under Utah law. utahnewsdispatch.com, local outlet
- May 23, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
Hundreds of people rallied on the Utah Capitol steps demanding a halt to the project, with speakers raising air quality, greenhouse gas and water supply concerns. utahnewsdispatch.com, local outlet
- May 22, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
The second water right change application for the project, filed by Murray Hollow L.C., was withdrawn by a notice dated May 22 that gave no reason, after nearly 700 protest letters had been filed against it. ksl.com, local outlet
- May 14, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
Demonstrators rallied at the Utah Capitol and delivered a letter signed by about 6,000 people asking Governor Spencer Cox to take binding action on the Great Salt Lake and the project. sltrib.com, local outlet
- May 11, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
The Box Elder Accountability Referendum filed two referendum applications to put the county commission's approval before voters, which would require 5,422 signatures in 45 days if the applications were accepted. fox13now.com, local outlet
- May 8, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
Kevin O'Leary told CNN that developers had invested about 20 million dollars, would seek letters of intent from tenants and further investment for a project that could cost more than 100 billion dollars, and aimed to have the first gigawatt operating within two years. cnn.com, local outlet
- May 5, 2026 (content date) waiting on permits
The first water right change application for the project, filed by the landowner to move water from irrigation to industrial use, was withdrawn, and the company said it would refile with additional supporting information. upr.org, local outlet
- May 4, 2026 (content date) approved
Box Elder County commissioners voted unanimously for two resolutions consenting to a Military Installation Development Authority project area for a 40,000 acre data center campus with its own natural gas power plant, at a special meeting attended by about 1,100 people. utahnewsdispatch.com, local outlet
Newest first. Earlier entries are never overwritten; each carries the source it rests on. The badge on each entry is the status the record moved to.
Corrections to this record
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· the draft of a history entry
Restates the MIDA initial approval already on the record as row 464 (Utah News Dispatch, August 20); folded into that row with the outlet as a citation (2026-09-13). The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Restates the MIDA initial approval already on the record as row 464 (Utah News Dispatch, August 20); folded into that row with the outlet as a citation (2026-09-13). The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Restates the MIDA initial approval already on the record as row 464 (Utah News Dispatch, August 20); folded into that row with the outlet as a citation (2026-09-13). The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
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· the draft of a history entry
Duplicate of the row the card names, written by the repeated checklist Apply of 2026-09-13; returned to draft. The old and new text.
Sources
Primary documents
- Stratos Project information, Box Elder County, May 4, 2026
- Stratos Project fact sheet, Box Elder County, May 4, 2026
- Stratos District project area map, Box Elder County, May 4, 2026
- Stratos Project Area, Military Installation Development Authority, May 4, 2026
- Box Elder County zoning map, Box Elder County, September 5, 2026
Reporting
- After data center debacle, Gov. Cox says MIDA has had ‘mission creep’ and needs ‘major reform’ - Utah News Dispatch, Utah News Dispatch, August 20, 2026, query feed
- Letter: Utah cannot afford to be overrun by rich data center developers - The Salt Lake Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune, August 27, 2026, query feed
- Utah planned the world’s biggest data center. Then came the bipartisan pushback. - The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor, September 1, 2026, query feed
- Kevin O'Leary Admits ‘We Have Not Properly Communicated’ Utah Data Center Plans, Promises More Transparency - Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Finance, August 19, 2026, query feed
- O'Leary says he botched the messaging on Utah data center - moneywise.com, moneywise.com, August 13, 2026, query feed
- Stratos backlash leaves Gov. Cox, lawmakers open to more data center oversight - NPR Utah | KUER, NPR Utah | KUER, August 20, 2026, query feed
- A Utah wildfire is burning near the planned Box Elder County data center site. Here’s what we know. - The Salt Lake Tribune, The Salt Lake Tribune, August 21, 2026, query feed
- Hundreds cry out as Box Elder commissioners wave in massive data center, Utah News Dispatch, May 4, 2026, local outlet
- Box Elder County Commission approves agreement for data center project, leading to public outcry, ABC4, May 4, 2026, local outlet
- Box Elder County approved the largest data center in the country. Now what?, Utah Public Radio, May 6, 2026, local outlet
- Company withdraws its bid for data center water, but not because it's backing down, Utah News Dispatch, May 7, 2026, local outlet
- Why Utah residents are protesting a massive AI data center project backed by Kevin O'Leary, CNN, May 9, 2026, local outlet
- Group files application to challenge Box Elder County data center approval, Fox 13, May 11, 2026, local outlet
- Utahns rally at Capitol against Box Elder County data center project, The Salt Lake Tribune, May 14, 2026, local outlet
- Utah protesters want more sunlight on data center plan and its effects on water and air, Utah News Dispatch, May 14, 2026, local outlet
- There's another water rights application for the Box Elder County data center project, Utah Public Radio, May 19, 2026, local outlet
- Renderings show vision for massive data center proposed in Utah, but permits could take years, Utah News Dispatch, May 19, 2026, local outlet
- Protect the water, the air, the land: Hundreds demand halt on Box Elder data center plan, Utah News Dispatch, May 23, 2026, local outlet
- Second water right application for Kevin O'Leary's Utah data center project withdrawn, The Salt Lake Tribune, May 27, 2026, local outlet
- Second water rights request withdrawn for embattled Box Elder County data center proposal, KSL, May 27, 2026, local outlet
- Second water rights application for Box Elder County data center withdrawn, ABC4, May 27, 2026, local outlet
- Box Elder County residents won't get to vote on data center referendum, county attorney says, Utah News Dispatch, May 28, 2026, local outlet
- Box Elder County approves moratorium on data centers. Too late, some say., Utah Public Radio, June 17, 2026, local outlet
- Cox pushes MIDA reforms after data center blowup, Fox 13, August 20, 2026, local outlet
- Utah Gov. Cox calls Stratos data center approval process not good, urges reform, The Salt Lake Tribune, August 20, 2026, local outlet
30 sources on file. Primary documents are filings, minutes, dockets and official pages; reporting is how an event was found, and the document is what gets cited where one exists.
Cite this page
Data Center Record, "Stratos Project", https://datacenterrecord.org/projects/stratos-box-elder-ut. Data: Data Center Record, datacenterrecord.org, CC BY 4.0.
The structured rows are CC BY 4.0. Link to this page; that is what turns a reuse into a citation. Prose stays under copyright.
For researchers
- Slug
- stratos-box-elder-ut
- Status value
- permitting
- Tier
- depth
- Place id
- us/ut/box-elder-county
- Coordinates
- 41.6226233, -113.060252
- Location precision
- county_centroid
- Location source
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb, Counties layer, Box Elder County (GEOID 49003) internal point. https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/State_County/MapServer/1/query?where=STATE%3D%2749%27+AND+BASENAME%3D%27Box+Elder%27&outFields=*&returnGeometry=false&f=json . The site is unincorporated land in Hansel Valley with no street address; the county project area map PDF has not been traced.
- Coordinate source
- Not disclosed
- Use type values
- ai_unspecified, cloud, government_defense
- Capacity basis
- not_disclosed
- Water basis
- not_disclosed, gallons_per_day
- Published
- 2026-09-04
- Last verified
- 2026-09-13