Overview
- Developers filed a new request to transfer 11 acre-feet of water from a Hansel Valley spring after withdrawing a 1,900 acre-feet bid, and residents have begun lodging formal protests again.
- Fresh renderings show 60 data buildings across six sites plus a 3,000-acre solar field, with phase one featuring a 1-gigawatt natural-gas plant paired with battery storage.
- The company says server halls will use a closed-loop cooling system that limits consumptive water loss, and it plans to supply most water needs to the on-site power operation.
- Scientists warn a 7.5–9 gigawatt complex with its own gas-fired generation could create a major heat island and worsen stress on the Great Salt Lake, a concern echoed in thousands of objections.
- O’Leary Digital’s CEO says he welcomes rigorous state reviews and notes landowners in the project zone support the plan, while MIDA and Box Elder County have already authorized it to advance.