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Sources and methodology

I brought receipts.

Every number on this page traces back to a public source. Meeting-derived facts link directly to the moment in the YouTube recording. Federal and state numbers link to the agency dataset. Estimates show their math. If a number isn't on this list, it isn't on the page.

Source meetings

  • Box Elder County Special Commission Meeting, April 27, 2026 Public recording on YouTube. Primary source for most MIDA-stated numbers cited below. Watch full meeting →
  • Box Elder County Commission Meeting, April 22, 2026 Public recording on YouTube. Earlier presentation of the same proposal. Watch full meeting →
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April 27 Meeting Clips

Power & capacity

  • 9 GW full buildout · 3 GW Phase 1 · 40,000 acres Stated by Hilary Venable (MIDA project area director) at the April 27, 2026 special meeting. Note: she said "7.5 to 8 GW" in the meeting; broader public reporting and MIDA board materials reference up to 9 GW. Watch at 3:45 →
  • 3 GW Phase 1 confirmation Stated by Paul Morris (MIDA Executive Director) at the April 22, 2026 commission meeting. Watch at 20:44 →
  • Utah net summer generating capacity: 10,277 MW (2024) U.S. Energy Information Administration, Utah Electricity Profile 2024 (released Nov 10, 2025). eia.gov/electricity/state/utah →
  • Utah total annual electricity generation: 35.1 TWh (2024) U.S. Energy Information Administration, Utah Electricity Profile 2024 (in-state generation). eia.gov/electricity/state/utah →
  • Utah household count: ~1.18M (2024) U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2024 ACS 1-year estimates. census.gov/quickfacts/UT →
  • Utah residential electricity ~9,288 kWh/yr per household EIA Sales, Revenue, and Average Price tables (2024). eia.gov/electricity/sales_revenue_price →
  • 5.1M Utah-style homes from 9 GW (derived) Step-by-step: 9 GW × 60% capacity factor × 8,760 hr/yr = 47,304,000 MWh/yr = 47.3 TWh. Divided by 9,288 kWh/yr per Utah household = ~5,093,000 households, rounded to 5.1M. Phase 1 (3 GW) yields ~15.8 TWh ÷ 9,288 kWh = ~1.7M households-equivalent.
  • 3× Phase 1 / ~10× full buildout vs all operating Utah data centers (derived) Step-by-step: all 48 operational Utah data centers combined draw ~920 MW (Deseret News, April 2026). Stratos Phase 1 = 3,000 MW ÷ 920 MW = ~3.3× the entire current Utah industry. Stratos full = 9,000 MW ÷ 920 MW = ~9.8×, rounded to ~10×.

Emissions

  • MIDA has not published an emissions estimate for the project Reviewed both meeting recordings (April 22 and April 27) end-to-end; no quantified CO2, NOx, or particulate figures were presented for Phase 1 or full buildout. The numbers on this page are derived as described below.
  • Stratos Phase 1 ≈ 6.4 MMT CO2/yr · Full buildout ≈ 19.3 MMT CO2/yr (derived) Calculated as: GW capacity × 60% capacity factor × 8,760 hours × 900 lb CO2/MWh ÷ 2,204.6. Emission factor from EPA's standard for new natural-gas combined-cycle plants. EPA GHG equivalencies →
  • Utah electric-power CO2: 20.9 MMT (2023) EIA State Energy Data System (SEDS): Utah electric power CO2. eia.gov SEDS Utah →
  • "4.2 million cars on the road" framing EPA estimates a typical American passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tonnes CO2/yr. 19.3 MMT ÷ 4.6 ≈ 4.2 million cars. EPA equivalencies →

Natural gas

  • Stratos Phase 1 ≈ 97 Bcf/yr · Full buildout ≈ 290 Bcf/yr (derived) Step-by-step for 1 GW at 60% capacity factor:
    · Generation: 1 GW × 60% × 8,760 hr/yr = 5,256,000 MWh/yr
    · Heat input: 5,256,000 MWh × 6,400 Btu/kWh × 1,000 = 33,638 billion Btu (33.6 TBtu)
    · Volume: 33.6 TBtu ÷ 1,037 Btu per cubic foot of pipeline gas = ~32.4 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per GW
    Phase 1 (3 GW) → ~97 Bcf/yr. Full buildout (9 GW) → ~290 Bcf/yr. Heat-rate source: EIA AEO 2025 Cost & Performance Table 8.2 →; gas heat content: EIA heat content of natural gas →
  • Utah natural gas consumption: 276.5 Bcf (2024, all sectors) EIA Natural Gas Consumption by End Use, Utah. eia.gov/ng/Utah →
  • Ruby Pipeline as project gas source Hilary Venable named the Ruby pipeline as a key site-selection asset in her opening April 27 presentation. Austin Pritchett later called it "the catalyst of the project." Watch at 28:58 → · Pipeline capacity 1.5 Bcf/day per EIA. Tallgrass Energy acquired Ruby in 2023 after Chapter 11.

Water

  • 3,000 AF on-site + 10,000 AF near Snowville under contract = 13,000 AF water rights Stated by Austin Pritchett in answer to Hilary Venable in the April 27, 2026 meeting. Watch at 12:30 →
  • "Zero-water turbine" technology aspiration / not yet contractually secured Stated by Hilary Venable, April 27, 2026. The 13,000 AF reflects current rights as a fallback; closed-loop air-cooled turbines would lower demand significantly if secured. Watch at 11:51 →
  • 13,000 acre-feet ≈ 4.24 billion gallons / year ≈ 11.6 million gallons / day Conversion: 1 acre-foot = 325,851.4 U.S. gallons (USGS). 13,000 × 325,851 ≈ 4,236,063,000 gal/yr. USGS Circular 1268 →
  • Great Salt Lake annual structural deficit: ~800K–1.2M AF/yr since 2020 Compiled from USGS water-budget research and Grow the Flow analysis. USGS OFR 78-912 → · Grow the Flow (April 2026) →

Money & jobs

  • $30M/yr Phase 1 · $108M/yr full buildout · claimed county revenue Stated by Hilary Venable, April 27, 2026 meeting. Same figures presented by Paul Morris in the April 22 meeting. Watch at 24:11 (Apr 27) → · Watch at 25:37 (Apr 22) →
  • Up-front developer payments: $5.2M/yr × 3 years (Apr 22) versus $5.4M/yr (Apr 27). Discrepancy worth verifying. Two different numbers were stated across the two meetings. Worth verifying against the final interlocal agreement. Watch Apr 22 at 26:52 →
  • Box Elder County total countywide property tax: ~$76M/yr Stated by a county commissioner during the closing portion of the April 27 meeting: "if you take all the property taxes that are paid in this county, it's $76 million a year for every property tax that's paid in this county. And this return that we're talking about with full development would be $108 million." Watch at 1:16:46 →
  • Buildout: ~10 years · 4,000 construction jobs · 2,000 permanent jobs Stated by Hilary Venable, April 27, 2026 meeting. Watch at 23:06 →
  • Energy-use tax reduced from 6% to 0.5% for the project Reported by Deseret News covering the proposal; the rate change is enabled by MIDA's authority to set differential tax rates inside a designated project area. Deseret News → · Utah Code Title 63H Ch. 1 (MIDA Act) →
  • 100% personal-property tax relief for data-center equipment Utah's existing data-center incentive program exempts qualifying personal property (servers, cooling, switchgear) for facilities ≥150,000 sq ft. Utah Code 59-12-104 (sales/use exemption) → · context summary: Ryan: Utah Credits & Incentives 2025 →
  • 80% real-property tax rebate to developer Project-specific concession in the proposed interlocal agreement between MIDA and Box Elder County. The 80%/20% split was reported in the meeting record and Deseret News coverage. Deseret News → · final agreement was tabled at both April 22 and April 27 commission meetings.
  • MIDA created by Utah Legislature in 2007 Military Installation Development Authority Act, originally enacted by the Utah Legislature in 2007 to support economic development at and near military bases (initially Hill Air Force Base). Utah Code 63H-1-101 (Authority creation) →
  • MIDA project area duration · 50-year expectation Stated by Hilary Venable at the April 27 meeting that the project area "would likely never cease to exist" and MIDA expected to be there for at least 50 years. Project areas under Utah Code 63H-1 may extend up to 75 years. Watch at 36:55 →
  • 8-member Development Review Committee Stated by Hilary Venable at the April 27, 2026 meeting: 1 MIDA executive (chair), 6 county-recommended technical experts, 1 non-voting landowner. Watch at 36:55 →

Other Utah data centers

  • ~920 MW operational across 48 Utah data centers · 2.6 GW under construction Deseret News, April 2026. Deseret News →
  • Novva, West Jordan: 200 MW on-site gas (approved Dec 2024) Grist, Utah data-center boom coverage. Grist →
  • Joule Capital Partners, Millard County: 1 GW Phase 1 (proposed 2025) Deseret News, October 2025. Deseret News →

Method & assumptions

Every estimated number on this page is built from these inputs. Each topic-specific source group above (Power, Emissions, Gas, Water) shows the full step-by-step arithmetic for its derived figures.

  • GW vs TWh: what's the difference? GW measures power (rate at any instant); TWh measures annual energy (total over a year). Conversion: GW × 8,760 hr × capacity factor = TWh/yr. So 9 GW × 0.6 × 8,760 ≈ 47.3 TWh/yr.
  • Capacity factor (CF): 60% - used in every electricity, gas, and emissions derivation Modern natural-gas combined-cycle (NGCC) plants in the U.S. fleet ran at 57–60% CF in 2022–2024 per EIA. A captive plant designed to power a 24/7 data center could realistically run higher (75–85%), so 60% is conservative; actual annual output (and emissions and gas burn) would likely be higher. EIA NGCC utilization →
  • NGCC heat rate: ~6,400 Btu/kWh - used in gas-burn derivation Heat rate is the fuel energy a plant must consume per unit of electricity produced. Modern combined-cycle new-build heat rates from EIA AEO 2025 cluster around 6,400 Btu/kWh at full load. Older plants run higher (7,000–9,000+). EIA AEO 2025 Table 8.2 →
  • CO2 emission factor: 900 lb/MWh - used in emissions derivation EPA new-source performance standard for new NGCC is 1,000 lb CO2/MWh; modern fleet operating data clusters from 800–1,000 lb/MWh. 900 lb/MWh is a defensible mid-fleet value used here. C2ES summary →
  • Pipeline natural-gas heat content: ~1,037 Btu/cubic foot - used in Bcf derivation Standard EIA reference value for U.S. average pipeline gas. Used to convert from Btu (heat input) to cubic feet (volume). EIA heat content of natural gas →
  • Per-passenger-vehicle CO2: 4.6 metric tonnes/yr - used in cars-equivalent derivation EPA average for a typical American passenger vehicle. 19.3 MMT (Stratos full) ÷ 4.6 = 4.2M cars-equivalent. EPA GHG equivalencies →
  • Per-Utah-household electricity: 9,288 kWh/yr - used in homes-equivalent derivation EIA Sales, Revenue, and Average Price tables (2024). 47.3 TWh (Stratos full) ÷ 9,288 kWh = ~5.1M households-equivalent. EIA residential price tables →
  • Acre-foot to gallons: 1 AF = 325,851.4 U.S. gallons - used in water conversion USGS standard conversion. 13,000 AF × 325,851 ≈ 4.236 billion gallons/yr. USGS Circular 1268 →
  • Why "water rights, not demand" The 13,000 AF figure comes from MIDA describing rights they have purchased or contracted (3,000 AF on-site + 10,000 AF near Snowville). Actual annual project water consumption would depend on cooling technology choices not yet finalized. MIDA stated the goal is air-cooled / closed-loop with much lower consumption, but that tech is "very close, not solidified" per the April 27 meeting record.
  • Confidence and freshness Capacity, generation, and gas figures are estimates: they apply published EPA/EIA factors to MIDA's stated GW capacity. They are reproducible from the inputs above and labeled "estimated" on the page. MIDA has not published a project-specific environmental-impact study, water-demand estimate, or emissions estimate. If MIDA later publishes those, this page should be updated to use the published values.

Kevin O'Leary public statements & Wonder Valley Utah press

  • MIDA + Kevin O'Leary public unveiling of the Stratos Project Area; "tell the world" quote KPCW report on the April 24, 2026 announcement. KPCW →
  • Deseret News profile and the China-AI race framing; "race with China" quote Deseret News interview with Kevin O'Leary about the Stratos project. Deseret News (Apr 24, 2026) →
  • Salt Lake Tribune profile: how O'Leary "amassed his wealth" Salt Lake Tribune background reporting tied to the Stratos announcement. Salt Lake Tribune (Apr 28, 2026) →

O'Leary Digital corporate names & JV release

  • JV announcement: O'Leary Digital + West GenCo for 7.5 GW Wonder Valley Utah; "O'Leary Digital Limited" as JV signatory PR Newswire press release issued by O'Leary Digital, February 18, 2026. Names Paul L. Palandjian as CEO. PR Newswire JV release →
  • "O'Leary Digital Utah Development Company" name variant KSL coverage of the April 27, 2026 special meeting. KSL →
  • olearydigital.com domain registered December 16, 2022 RDAP / WHOIS public lookup. RDAP / rdap.org →
  • O'Leary Digital described as a spinoff of O'Leary Ventures Deseret News profile of the project, April 24, 2026. Deseret News →

O'Leary's prior business ventures

  • SoftKey to The Learning Company to Mattel: $4.2B sale 1999; $184M Mattel Q4 1999 loss; 2003 ~$122M shareholder settlement; ~$6M O'Leary self-stated proceeds Wikipedia biography of Kevin O'Leary, sourcing Forbes, Fortune, and Businessweek for the deal-level financials. Fortune confirms the "millionaire moment" framing. Wikipedia: Kevin O'Leary → · Wikipedia: SoftKey → · Fortune →
  • O'Leary Funds: sold to Canoe Financial 2015; AMF regulatory penalty 2014. O'Shares: sold to ALPS. O'Leary Mortgages: closed April 2014. Wikipedia biography (cross-referenced to Canadian financial press). O'Shares status corroborated by etf.com analysis. Wikipedia: Kevin O'Leary → · etf.com on O'Shares →
  • O'Leary Ventures portfolio (~40 companies; exits include WonderFi, Plated) PitchBook investor profile and CB Insights portfolio data. PitchBook → · CB Insights →

Wonder Valley Alberta & earlier discarded sites

  • Wonder Valley Alberta announced December 2024; has not broken ground Calgary.Tech announcement coverage. Calgary.Tech (Dec 9, 2024) →
  • Alberta declined to require an environmental impact assessment for Wonder Valley CBC News and Canada's National Observer reporting. CBC News → · National Observer (Apr 3, 2026) →
  • Wonder Valley Alberta is "more than a year behind its aggressive original schedule"; earlier discarded sites in West Virginia, North Dakota, Niagara Falls The Logic deep dive on the Alberta project; cross-confirmed in The Energy Mix coverage of the Utah pivot. The Logic → · The Energy Mix →

Palandjian, Agren, McCourt

  • Paul L. Palandjian named as CEO of O'Leary Digital in JV release; ~15 years at Intercontinental Real Estate; subsequent Somerset Equity Advisors / Trinity roles PR Newswire JV release lists Palandjian as CEO. PR Newswire JV release →
  • Carl Agren: co-founder & former COO of G42 Cloud (Core42); ~100 MW credit; later CEO of Phoenix Group; appointed to NIP Group September 2025 Site Selection Magazine on Wonder Valley team; corroborated by NIP Group's own September 10, 2025 GlobeNewswire announcement. Site Selection → · GlobeNewswire (NIP Group) →
  • Frank McCourt / McCourt Partners as funding partner; Dodgers Chapter 11 (June 2011) and ~$2B sale (March 2012); Project Liberty founded 2021 Site Selection magazine references McCourt-aligned capital in the Wonder Valley platform. McCourt's Dodgers history per Wikipedia. Project Liberty per the foundation's own site. Site Selection → · Wikipedia: Frank McCourt → · McCourt Global → · Project Liberty →

West GenCo: formation, JV role, classification

  • West GenCo corporate site: Alpine, UT base; three named principals (Pritchett, Fielding, Murphey); four "locations under consideration" Primary corporate website. westgenco.com →
  • West GenCo founding year (2025); LinkedIn industry classification "Real Estate"; 2 to 10 employees Self-published company profile. West GenCo on LinkedIn →
  • JV announcement: West GenCo as energy partner overseeing "permitting and state-level regulatory coordination" PR Newswire JV release, February 18, 2026. PR Newswire JV release →
  • westgenco.com domain registered October 10, 2025 (GoDaddy) RDAP / WHOIS public lookup. RDAP / rdap.org →

Power model: Ruby Pipeline, off-grid, regulatory

  • On-site, off-grid natural gas via Ruby Pipeline; "Shadow Grid" framing KSL coverage of the April 27, 2026 special meeting. KSL →
  • No FERC, Utah PSC, or Utah DAQ filings located referencing West GenCo or Stratos Negative-finding methodology and full search log in the project's deeper research notes.

Pritchett, Fielding, Murphey: prior careers

  • Pritchett identified as Managing Partner of West GenCo at Box Elder hearing KSL coverage of the April 27, 2026 special meeting; the article that anchored the role correction (Pritchett is the energy partner, not the developer). KSL →
  • SEC EDGAR Form D: West Meadows Investment Partners, LLC (Pritchett, Manager); Highland UT; 2024 formation; $750k raised Primary SEC filing (CIK 0002048681). SEC EDGAR Form D (West Meadows) →
  • SEC EDGAR Form D: Qelo Fund 10, LP (Fielding); Delaware LP, Lehi UT operating address; 2019 formation; $100M offering Primary SEC filing (CIK 0001794023). SEC EDGAR Form D (Qelo Fund 10) →
  • Elevate Development Partners: Pritchett as Co-founder & Managing Partner; Murphey as Partner & Head of Analysis; $800M stated pipeline Primary corporate website. The shared listing of Pritchett and Murphey at Elevate is the direct linkage between West GenCo and Pritchett's prior land-development venture. elevatedev.com →
  • Pritchett, Murphey at Elevate; Fielding's Blue Sky Energy Partners and White Energy Capital prior affiliations The Energy Mix coverage and corporate-site research. The Energy Mix →

SPDC: sister entity, domains, stated projects

  • SPDC corporate site: Alpine UT 84004 footer address; Pritchett (CEO), Murphey (CDO), Salvage (CRO); four named campus projects Primary corporate website (S&P Data Center Development). spdcdev.com →
  • spdcdev.com domain registered October 9, 2025 (Wix), one day before westgenco.com RDAP / WHOIS public lookup; consecutive-day registration finding. RDAP / rdap.org →

Mike Salvage: H5 Data Centers, Portman, prior roles

  • Mike Salvage: Director at H5 Data Centers; prior NTT America, Time Warner Cable Business Class, Cbeyond, IX Reach; recently Strategic Advisor at Portman Partners Public LinkedIn profile and aggregator records. Mike Salvage on LinkedIn → · RocketReach summary →

395 S Main Street, Alpine UT: tenancy and operating address research

  • 395 S Main Street, Alpine UT 84004: multi-tenant professional office building (AGS Law, Oak Haven Therapy, financial advisors) Tenant evidence per AGS Law's primary site, the building's Yelp listing, and Finance Strategists' Alpine UT directory. Neither West GenCo nor SPDC is on any public tenant roster. AGS Law → · Yelp listing for 395 S Main, Alpine → · Finance Strategists Alpine UT →
  • Principals' actual operating bases: Highland UT (Elevate Development Partners) and Lehi UT (Qelo Capital) Elevate corporate site for Highland UT base; Qelo Capital and SEC EDGAR for Lehi UT base. elevatedev.com → · SEC EDGAR (Qelo Fund 10) →

MIDA: state authority & board composition

  • MIDA: Utah Military Installation Development Authority (state body sponsoring the Stratos Project Area) Primary source: MIDA's own homepage. midaut.org →
  • MIDA Board composition: full voting and non-voting members Primary source: MIDA's own board page. midaut.org/board-members →
  • Stuart Adams: Utah Senate President (R-Layton, SD 22); on the MIDA board since 2008 Wikipedia biography, sourcing Utah Senate site and Salt Lake Tribune coverage. Wikipedia: Stuart Adams →
  • Jerry Stevenson: Utah State Senator (R-Layton, SD 6); on the MIDA board since 2008 Wikipedia biography. Wikipedia: Jerry Stevenson →

Stratos Project Area Plan (official)

  • Stratos Project Area Plan: project boundaries, anticipated buildout, infrastructure plans Primary source: the proponent's own filed Project Area Plan PDF. The highest-tier primary document for Stratos-specific claims. Stratos Project Area Plan PDF →

SB 132 (2025): sponsorship, mechanism, primary text

  • SB 132 (2025) enrolled bill: allows greater than 100 MW loads to procure power outside Rocky Mountain Power's regulated process Primary source: Utah Legislature enrolled-bill PDF. The off-grid model the Stratos JV relies on is enabled by this statute. Enrolled SB 132 (2025) →
  • SB 132 sponsorship: Sen. Scott Sandall (R-Tremonton, SD 1, the Box Elder senator) chief Senate sponsor; Rep. Colin Jack House sponsor Utah News Dispatch and Salt Lake Tribune coverage of competing 2025 data-center power bills. Utah News Dispatch (Feb 13, 2025) → · Salt Lake Tribune (Feb 13, 2025) →
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