A massive data center in Utah has gained approval.
“The three-member Box Elder County Commission voted unanimously Monday to approve the massive energy and data campus backed by Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority and celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary,” The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
The multibillion-dollar ‘hyperscale’ project would be constructed on 40,000 acres in unincorporated Box Elder County, where every private landowner has agreed to the use of their land.
The project would also utilize an additional 1,200 acres that include a section of the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), which is a Department of Defense site, and property owned by the Utah Trust Lands Administration.
Proposed 40,000-Acre Data Center Expected To Consume More Energy Than Entire State Faces Pushback
More from The Salt Lake Tribune:
MIDA approved the project late last month. The commission’s vote allows MIDA to create the project area — which is mostly made up of privately owned, unincorporated land within the county — where it can offer an array of incentives to the developer.
“We need to realize and remember that everybody has property rights,” Commissioner Tyler Vincent said, “and that they can do what they would like to do with their property.”
The crowd responded with a chorus of jeers and shouts. One man in the crowd yelled, “it’s not like we are being heard here anyway.”
“There is no one on this commission or any other county elected official that is going to benefit from this project, financially or otherwise,” Commissioner Lee Perry said.
After the meeting, commissioners said they reviewed more than 2,500 public comments from an online form on the county website and “considered all of them in our decision making process.”
“Following a Box Elder County decision to enter into an agreement to bring a large-scale data center to the county, state leaders and residents have expressed a wide variety of opinions,” ABC4 News wrote.
“During a meeting on Monday, opponents to the proposal broke out into yells, causing the Commissioners to leave the room and continue the meeting over zoom,” it added.
Watch below:
Following a Box Elder County decision to enter into an agreement to bring a large-scale data center to the county, state leaders and residents have expressed a wide variety of opinions.
During a meeting on Monday, opponents to the proposal broke out into yells, causing the… pic.twitter.com/7v6E5ovnGO
— ABC4 News (@abc4utah) May 5, 2026
FOX 13 News Utah shared further:
The Box Elder County Commission, made up of three elected commissioners, was supposed to vote on the proposal last Monday. However, they delayed the vote after hearing concerns about water usage, electricity, and fears that the proposal was being rushed toward a final decision.
A spokesperson for MIDA said they plan on using on-site energy and a closed-loop water system, with 3,000 acre-feet of on-site water that they claim is not from the Great Salt Lake.
“There’s misunderstanding on what constitutes Great Salt Lake,” countered Rob Dubuc, who serves as counsel for Friends of the Great Salt Lake. “A groundwater aquifer that feeds into the lake is absolutely critical to the lake. You can’t have it all; choices have to be made. Are we going to save the lake or not? It takes every drop.”
The planners also say they will power the center with on-site-produced energy via natural gas.
Monday’s meeting was moved to the county fairgrounds in Tremonton due to the expected turnout. Immediately when the meeting started, the commissioners were met with a massive eruption of shouting and booing.
Once the crowd died down, Commissioner Tyler Vincent began reading a statement about the project. One of the first things he said was that this process is far from over.
However, as he read off alleged positive aspects of the project, he was met with more outbursts. A manager of the Bear River Water Conservancy was also boo-ed after saying his agency had reviewed the water rights change application and said the community does not rely on the Salt Wells water in the Hansel Valley area. An outside attorney hired by the county also spoke about the economic incentives of the project and was met with jeers.
Watch additional coverage below: