Stratos Data Center Will Emit Air Pollution Linked to Premature Deaths and Health-Related Economic Damages for Utah and States Downwind

WASHINGTON, DC – Stratos, one of the world’s largest data center projects proposed for Northern Utah, would emit dangerous quantities of air pollution throughout the region that cause premature deaths, illness, and health-related economic damage, according to a new report released today.

The analysis by EmPower Analytics Group, commissioned by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), shows that the gas plants powering the data center could emit up to 3,140 tons of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) a year, impacting the people of Utah, and also residents of Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and as far away as Illinois. 

“Stratos is a modern-day Trojan Horse that would unleash deadly air pollution linked to serious, life-threatening health damages upon Utah communities and millions of people living downwind of this massive data center,” said John Walke, Director of Federal Clean Air at NRDC. “Pollution from Stratos will contaminate the air and compromise the ability to live a healthy life both around the facility and in states hundreds of miles from the data center.” 

“We estimate that, at full buildout, Stratos would need about twice the electricity Utah’s power plants generated in 2024,” said Michael Cork, PhD, MPH, Founder and CEO of EmPower Analytics Group. “If that demand were met entirely by gas, our highest estimates reach 45 additional premature deaths and $690 million in health damages each year, with effects extending far beyond Utah.” The study’s electricity comparison assumes a 9 GW buildout operating at 90 percent of capacity.

The different scenarios modeled in this analysis address key questions raised by local communities in Utah about how much air pollution Stratos’s power supply could produce, where it would travel, who would be exposed, and what the resulting health effects and economic costs could be.

“According to this analysis, the Stratos data center would significantly worsen air quality and public health, leading to premature deaths, increased asthma attacks and hospital visits, and lost school and work days for communities near the Stratos project, along the Wasatch Front, and into neighboring states,” said Logan Mitchell, PhD, Climate Scientist and Regulatory Manager at Utah Clean Energy. “Utah policymakers and regulators should consider the health and economic impacts identified in this analysis and account for them as they consider the future of large-scale off-grid, fossil fueled data centers in Utah, including the Stratos Project. Responsible off-grid data center developments should pursue the maximum amount of clean, emission-free generation resources ahead of fossil fuels. Projects should protect air quality, avoid planet-heating emissions, and be good stewards of Utah’s limited water resources,” said Mitchell.

The Stratos developers have not committed to a final buildout size or specific on-site power generation technologies. But based on previously reported plant sizes under consideration, and two plausible forms of on-site methane gas power generation, a modern combined-cycle gas plant and gas-fired engines like those Utah has permitted for another data center, the increased pollution of particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds from Stratos could be between 370 to 3,140 tons of deadly PM2.5; 484- to 11,900 tons of nitrogen oxides; 78 to 5,500 tons of volatile organic compounds a year. 

Stratos developers have not confirmed details of the full project, however it is anticipated that Stratos could generate nearly twice as much electricity annually as all of Utah’s power plants combined – with commensurate health and environmental impacts. At its potential full buildout,  Stratos could reach 9 GW, according to draft plans. Burning methane gas at this scale will release substantial air pollution across the region, contributing to PM2.5 and ozone, linked to premature death and lung disease and, in the case of PM2.5, heart disease. 

Toplines from the analysis include:

• Stratos air pollution emissions at full buildout under the modeled 9 GW power scenario are estimated to cause an additional 5-45 premature deaths and $75-$690 million in health-related economic damages every year, depending on the generating technology. In the 3 GW first-phase gas scenarios, the estimates are 1.6–15 premature deaths and $25 million–$230 million a year. At either buildout size studied, Stratos’s gas-powered emissions would lead to disease and premature death. Air pollution will also lead to more asthma cases, nonfatal heart attacks, hospital visits, and lost work and school days. 
• The technology used to power Stratos could make a five-to-sixfold difference in its estimated health harms. Stratos has not indicated which kind of power generation equipment it will use. The  models in the report are based on two plausible methane gas energy generation technologies at two different sizes: a first phase 3 GW project, and a full buildout 9 GW project. Both technologies will result in substantial emissions. The gas-fired reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) scenario, however, is estimated to cause five to six times the premature deaths and health-related economic damages of the modern combined-cycle gas scenario at the same capacity. Increasing capacity from 3 GW to 9 GW roughly triples the estimated health burden and economic costs under either scenario.
• Communities located near Stratos will bear the greatest burden of increased air pollution. The communities near Stratos in Box Elder and Cache County, Utah, and southern Idaho will bear the greatest burden of particulate matter air pollution. These increases would be added to a region that already faces air-quality challenges: northern Utah’s mountain valleys are prone to winter inversions that trap pollution near the ground, the Northern Wasatch Front remains designated nonattainment (in violation of EPA health standards) for ground-level ozone.
• While Utah faces the largest air pollution increases, more than 80% of the estimated health-related economic damages occur outside Utah due to transported air pollution. Emissions from Stratos will extend far beyond Utah, traveling downwind to bring dangerous PM2.5 pollution and ozone to many downwind states including Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming. Under the two modeled 9GW methane gas power plant scenarios, health-related economic damages could range from $63 million to$581 million each year for populations outside of Utah.
   

NRDC Resources:

Powering Stratos: The Health Costs Report:

https://www.empoweranalyticsgroup.com/s/Powering_Stratos_The_Health_Costs.pdf

Powering Stratos: The Health Costs Technical appendix:

https://www.empoweranalyticsgroup.com/s/Stratos_Technical_Appendix.pdf

The Data is Clear: Unchecked Data Center Growth Threatens Public Health and the Environment

The Particulars of PM2.5 (NRDC Explainer)

Utah Clean Energy resources:

Estimated Emissions and Water Consumption from the Proposed Stratos Data Center

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts: 

Margie Kelly, NRDC, mkelly@nrdc.org, 541-222-9699

Logan Mitchell, PhD, Utah Clean Energy, Climate Scientist and Regulatory Manager, logan@utahcleanenergy.org, 801-871-5548