A new analysis commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council projects significant public health and economic impacts from the Stratos data center proposed for Box Elder County, Utah. The facility, backed by Canadian businessman Kevin O’Leary, would require approximately 9 gigawatts of on-site power generated by burning methane gas, making it one of the world’s largest data centers. The Box Elder County Commission approved the project in May under contested circumstances.
The EmPower Analytics report models two scenarios using different methane-gas power generation technologies. Under the combined-cycle combustion turbine scenario, annual impacts would include 5-20 premature deaths and $75-340 million in health-related economic damages. The reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) scenario, which uses multiple smaller engines instead of large turbines, projects significantly higher impacts of 15-45 premature deaths and $230-690 million annually. Over a 30-year period, cumulative impacts range from 145-1,350 premature deaths and $2.3-20.7 billion depending on the technology employed, with RICE generators producing substantially higher emissions than combined-cycle alternatives.
The primary health threat comes from fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller, known as PM2.5, which is roughly 30 times smaller than a human hair. The report also identifies additional health effects including new asthma cases, nonfatal heart attacks, hospitalizations, and lost work and school days. The analysis notes that diesel backup generators, whose specifications remain unclear, would create even greater pollution, as diesel engines emit significantly higher levels of harmful nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide compared to gas generators.
While the highest pollution concentrations would occur near Box Elder County and northern Utah, the report indicates over 80 percent of health harms would affect populations outside Utah, extending downwind to Colorado, Wyoming, and Illinois. The developers’ most recent state filings indicate plans for a 7.5 gigawatt facility using the higher-emission RICE technology, despite Governor Spencer Cox’s stated preference for nuclear, geothermal, and renewable energy sources for future phases. The report emphasizes that alternative power sources including wind, solar, geothermal, and battery storage are feasible options for data center operations.
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