The Verge Investigation: How Utah Residents Killed Kevin O'Leary's 9GW 'Wonder Valley' Data Center

A massive data center planned by Kevin O'Leary on 40,000 acres in Hansel Valley, Box Elder County, with a stated 9 gigawatts of power capacity — more than double the average electricity use of the entire state of Utah.

It was approved through a military development authority (MIDA) that can override local land-use rules, without telling the county or residents until very late, triggering broad backlash, a referendum and litigation that paused it.

It shows regulatory speed alone is not enough. Large projects need early community consent and transparency on water and power, or political delay becomes costlier than consultation.

No, but it has lost momentum. It is paused pending litigation over the referendum and faces an organized opposition network, legislative scrutiny and regulatory review, with O'Leary retreating from the public front line.