O'Leary Digital Proposes Massive Utah Data Center Project
The firm submitted a water permit for an 11-cluster facility featuring a 7.5-gigawatt power plant in Box Elder County.
Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Data Centers
Live Poll
Should large-scale data centers face stricter water usage regulations in your area?
O'Leary Digital Utah DC Sub I, LLC has filed a water permit application with the Utah Division of Water Rights for a sprawling data center project. The proposal includes 11 data center clusters supported by a 7.5-gigawatt power generation facility.
Why it matters
The project intends to use a closed recycle loop to minimize water consumption, which developers claim will require less water than the site's previous agricultural use. Proponents project the development could lead to additional water reaching the Great Salt Lake.
The proposed infrastructure includes fifteen 500-megawatt combined-cycle natural gas power plants and 154 acres of landscaping. The facility utilizes a closed recycle loop system designed for 90% water recovery, requiring 10% freshwater makeup.
The players
O'Leary Digital Utah DC Sub I, LLC
This is the corporate entity responsible for the proposed data center and power generation development in Utah.
Utah Division of Water Rights
This state agency is responsible for managing water appropriation and evaluating permit applications for large-scale infrastructure.
The details
The massive development in Box Elder County is expected to employ 4,850 staff members. The application process will proceed through a two-week public advertising period followed by a 20-day protest window.
Timeline
The application was submitted to the Utah Division of Water Rights on October 15, 2026.
A two-week public advertising period and 20-day protest window will follow the submission.
The Tech Race
This development represents a shift toward on-site, dedicated power generation for massive data center clusters to meet the extreme energy demands of modern compute. It positions the firm to operate independently of legacy grid constraints by utilizing large-scale natural gas power blocks.
Residents may see significant changes in Box Elder County due to the addition of 4,850 jobs and large-scale industrial construction. The project's water usage claims will be subject to public scrutiny during the upcoming protest window.
The takeaway
Large-scale tech infrastructure projects now frequently incorporate bespoke power generation and high-efficiency water recycling to secure regulatory approval. Residents and stakeholders should monitor the upcoming public protest period to understand the full scope of potential community impacts.
What happens next
The project will undergo a two-week public advertising phase followed by a 20-day protest period as part of the formal regulatory review.
Further reading
Learn more about local infrastructure development in our Utah Data Centers section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KSL.
Live Poll
Should large-scale data centers face stricter water usage regulations in your area?
