u/Representative_Fun15

🔥 Hot ▲ 7.3k r/XGramatikInsights+3 crossposts

The massive Stratos project tied to Kevin O'Leary is causing a huge stir in Utah because the numbers are just staggering. He really is looking to lock down around forty thousand private acres out in Box Elder County, which puts the physical footprint at over sixty square miles and makes it basically the size of Washington D.C. The power demands are equally wild, aiming for nine gigawatts at full build-out. To put that in perspective, the daily average power draw for the entire state of Utah is only around four gigawatts. The developers argue that they will not strain the public grid at all because they plan to generate all that energy on-site by tapping directly into a major natural gas pipeline that runs right through the property.

Water and taxes are the biggest friction points for locals right now. Utah deals with constant drought conditions, leading scientists from Utah State University to publicly question how an ecosystem with already stressed aquifers is going to handle a project of this scale. The developers are pushing back by saying they will use a closed-loop cooling system to avoid wasting water. On the financial side, the project is set up through a special state military authority that lets developers pocket eighty percent of the new property tax revenue to fund the massive infrastructure build. Local leaders were initially furious because they felt kept in the dark about the whole thing. Residents have pushed back hard enough that local officials just delayed the vote, and a big public meeting is now scheduled for May fourth at the county fairgrounds in Tremonton so people can finally voice their concerns.

u/CollapsingTheWave — 12 days ago