Utah's new data center could create catastrophic conditions for wildlife, environment

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Skeptics of the proposed hyperscale data center in Box Elder County are sweating about a lot more than its energy demands and potential toll on water supplies.

Turn out, it could create a massive heat island capable of devastating the area’s ecology, said Robert Davies, a physics professor at Utah State University.

The project will actually produce more than 9 gigawatts of energy, Davies explained, because anytime a gadget consumes power, it also produces energy in the form of heat, whether it’s a toaster, a car or a sprawling rack of computer servers.

All the heat the Stratos Project emits will add up to another 7 to 8 gigawatts of energy in the form of waste heat.

Typically, waste heat is generated far from the power plant itself, in homes, businesses or on roads where it dissipates.