‘WTF!!’ files – Utah data center will consume more power than the entire state!
why not abandon the data centre and just increase power generated from fossil fuels to reduce household energy prices!
From Brave AI:
“A massive hyperscale data center project in Utah, known as Stratos and developed by O’Leary Digital (the infrastructure arm of Kevin O’Leary), is expected to generate and consume 9 gigawatts (GW) of power at full buildout. This capacity is more than double the entire state of Utah’s current average electricity use, which is approximately 4 GW.
The project, located in Box Elder County, was approved by the Utah Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA) in late April 2026. Key details include:
Power Source: The campus will run off-grid, generating all its own electricity on-site by burning fossil fuels connected to the Ruby Pipeline, a natural gas line.
Scale: The facility will span 40,000 acres of private land plus 1,200 acres of military/state-owned property.
Grid Impact: Developers claim the facility will not draw from the existing grid and may eventually feed surplus power back into it.
Economic Incentives: To attract tenants, MIDA reduced the energy use tax to 0.5% and agreed to rebate 80% of property tax revenue back to the developer.
Purpose: The project aims to support AI infrastructure development, with developers citing the need to compete with China’s rapid expansion of AI data centers.
While the Stratos project is the primary focus of recent reports citing the “more power than the state” claim, other analysts note that Utah’s total data center capacity is on track to triple in the coming years, raising broader concerns about water usage, environmental impact, and grid stability.”
Utah’s population was 3,551,150 as of July 1, 2025, according to estimates from the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
The facility will be powered by fossil fuel – natural gas- and not renewable energy or nuclear.
The price of that natural gas I not known – neither is the impact on price of the additional demand – or who pays for any demand impacts on the price of gas, locally, or nationally.
It is hard to imagine such additional demand of 9 (gigawatts (GW) of power will NOT have any price impact. - even if a purpose built gas fired power station to be built.
Why no build a gas fired power station to be built to generate electricity a a cheaper rate!
Generation Costs: According to the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (2024), the forecasted LCOE for a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant is £114 per MWh for 2025. In the US, industry analyses cite base case generation costs around 8 cents/kWh for efficient combined cycle plants, though these can rise significantly with higher fuel prices.
The average monthly electricity bill in Utah is $99, which is the lowest in the United States. This cost is driven by a relatively low average residential rate of 13.75¢/kWh and moderate monthly consumption of approximately 720 kWh.
Out of interest, here are Utah’s energy sources – renewable/fossil fuels.
In 2023, approximately 15.5% of Utah’s utility-scale electricity generation came from renewable energy sources, up from 13% in 2022. By 2024, this share increased to roughly 20% of total electricity generation, driven by a significant rise in solar capacity.
Keep in mind the new facility will produce and consume 9 gigawatts (GW) .
The primary sources of this renewable energy include:
Solar: The dominant renewable source, contributing about 14% of total generation in 2024, with utility-scale capacity reaching 2.2 gigawatts.
Wind: Provided approximately 2.2% of generation in 2024, with 391 MW of installed capacity.
Hydroelectric and Geothermal: Each contributed about 2.2% and 1.2% respectively in 2024, with geothermal facilities providing 72 MW of energy as of 2023.
Utah is working toward a voluntary goal of achieving 20% renewable energy by 2025, which it is currently approaching or has met depending on the specific year’s data metrics.
In 2025, fossil fuels accounted for approximately 78% of Utah’s electricity generation, with coal contributing 50% and natural gas contributing 28%.
Coal: 50% (roughly half of total generation)
Natural Gas: 28% (just over a quarter)
Total Fossil Fuel Share: ~78% (more than three-quarters)
While coal and natural gas remain the dominant sources, their combined share has decreased from 94% in 2000, as solar power has grown to provide 17% of the state’s electricity.
Utah’s total electricity consumption reached a record high of 34,505 GWh in 2024, following a slight decrease to a 27-year low of 33,497 GWh in 2023.
78% of Utah’s electricity generation of 34,505 GWh = 26,913 GWh -a long way away from 9 gigawatts
To convert gigawatts (GW) of power generation capacity to gigawatt-hours (GWh) of energy, you must multiply the power capacity by the time duration in hours over which that power is generated.
The fundamental formula is:
Energy (GWh) = Power (GW) ×Time (hours)
If the new facility runs for 3,834 hours, 160 days, months it will consume as much power as the recrd 34,505 GWh in 2024
Please take a (paid or unpaid) subscription or forward this article to those you think might be interested.
You can also donate via Ko-fi – any amount from three dollars upwards. Ko-fi donations here:
Isn't it funny how we have all been SHAMED for years for destroying the planet and using too much energy and not using more wind and solar. But now all of a sudden, its OK to forget all that and for the elites to use WAY more than we do. Global warming isn't a problem anymore - haha. What a joke that was. Now the elites say it is no problema.
It will be fascinating to see how Utah’s “progressives”, who generally favor [every form of electricity generation technology except for coal, oil, gas and nuclear], yet also “believe” in AI, will react to and attempt to spin this.