The proposed development would include a data center and a 1.5-gigawatt natural gas power plant about 15 miles northwest of Cedar City.
By Brooke Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune
“This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.”
A proposed data center near Cedar City that has sparked months of public debate in Iron County cleared a key hurdle Thursday.
The Iron County Planning Commission on Thursday signed off on a conditional use permit for the Antelope Data Center, a proposed 1.5-gigawatt project that will include an on-site natural gas power plant in unincorporated Iron County roughly 15 miles northwest of Cedar City, according to the company’s application.
The vote followed a packed public hearing in March, where residents voiced concerns about the project’s potential impacts on water resources, noise, lighting and wildlife.
Planning Commission Chair Erick Cox told The Tribune on Friday that those concerns shaped the county’s review and ultimately led to dozens of conditions attached to the approval.
“We did our very best to protect the people in Iron County, and looking out for the long term,” Cox said, “while offering the opportunity for them to come in and build a business, and provide jobs to local people.”
A spokesperson for the developer said it has spent the last year hosting meetings with hundreds of people about the project.
“We’ve engaged directly with neighbors, residents, agricultural stakeholders, environmental stewards, and elected officials. I think it’s important to recognize that data center projects aren’t all created equal,” said Scott Cuthbertson, a spokesperson for Pronghorn Development, in a statement Friday. “When people have access to the facts, anxiety gives way to understanding.”
To read more about Antelope Data Center visit The Salt Lake Tribune.