The Evolving Plans for the Massive Wonder Valley Data Center

Published June 11, 2026 at 12:57 PM MDT

Rhonda Lauritzen points to where the water used to come up to land her family owns on the north arm of the Great Salt Lake during a tour of multiple sites in and near the project area for the proposed Stratos data center project on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

A massive data center proposed in Box Elder County received approval from county commissioners weeks ago, and yet the shape of the plan remains very much up in the air. Salt Lake Tribune reporter Megan Banta joins us to discuss where things currently stand.

This is a fast-evolving story, and a lot has happened in recent weeks. Utah Senate President Stuart Adams sent a letter to project developer Kevin O’Leary, demanding he dramatically reduce the size and impacts of the Wonder Valley data center. O’Leary, after some grumbling, agreed to those changes. And a lawsuit has been filed challenging the constitutional legitimacy of MIDA, the quasi-governmental entity that initially approved the data center. Banta joins us to talk about all of that, and to recount her visit to the remote site, which lay an hour drive on dirt roads from the nearest town. She says she found more cows than people.

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Megan Banta | Data Enterprise Reporter, Salt Lake Tribune

Podcast date: June 11, 2026