Utah Opposition Forces Kevin O’Leary to Halve Stratos Campus Plan

Kevin O’Leary’s proposed Stratos data center campus in Box Elder County, Utah, has been cut in half after local opposition, while state reviews and permitting remain ahead of the project.

The development was initially proposed across about 40,000 acres and marketed as Wonder Valley. It remains in the planning stage.

The Military Installation Development Authority’s plan outlines a phased energy and data center campus. The first phase has 3 gigawatts of committed capacity, while about 9 gigawatts is projected for the full, longer-term buildout. Neither figure represents operating capacity.

Residents and local groups have challenged county approvals, raising concerns about the project’s scale, water use, environmental effects and limited public input during early decisions. The county attorney rejected two referendum applications, finding that the targeted resolutions were administrative decisions and could not go to a public vote. Sponsors may appeal.

Utah plaintiffs’ defamation suit against O’Leary and Fox News concerns statements connecting project critics to China; both defendants have asked a federal judge to dismiss it. The request is their legal argument, and the court has not resolved the case. State reviews and permitting remain ahead for the campus.