A report commissioned by NRDC and prepared by EmPower Analytics Group examines the potential health and environmental impacts of the proposed Stratos data center in Box Elder County, Utah. The facility, backed by Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, would be among the world’s largest data centers and would require approximately 9 gigawatts of on-site power generated by burning methane gas. The Box Elder County Commission approved the project in May under a special arrangement through Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority.
According to the analysis, air pollution from the data center’s methane power generation could result in approximately 5 to 45 additional premature deaths annually and between $75 million and $690 million in health-related economic damages per year at full build-out. Over a 30-year period, these impacts could accumulate to substantially higher figures depending on the technology employed. The report evaluates two methane-powered generation scenarios: combined-cycle combustion turbines and reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE), which produce different emission levels. The RICE technology scenario could result in approximately 856 to 1,350 premature deaths and $13.5 to $20.7 billion in damages, while the combined-cycle scenario estimates 145 to 253 deaths and $2.3 to $3.8 billion in damages over the same period.
The harmful air pollution consists primarily of fine particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or smaller (PM2.5), substances significantly smaller than human hair. The report notes that the choice of generation technology could create a five- to sixfold difference in estimated health harms. The analysis also identifies concerns regarding backup diesel generators, which emit substantially higher levels of pollutants compared to methane generators.
The report indicates that while the highest pollution concentrations would occur in northern Utah and southern Idaho near the facility, health impacts and economic damages would extend across multiple states downwind. More than 80 percent of the health-related damages are projected to occur outside Utah, affecting populations in Colorado, Wyoming, and other states as far away as Illinois. The latest Stratos filings indicate the developers plan a 7.5 gigawatt facility using RICE generators, despite statements from Utah Governor Spencer Cox suggesting alternative energy sources should power later phases of development.
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