STRATOS DATA CENTER • BOX ELDER COUNTY, UTAH • OCTOBER 2026
Powering Stratos: The Health Costs
Estimated Air Pollution, Health Harms and Economic Damages from the Proposed Stratos Data Center in Utah
Prepared by:
Michael Cork, PhD, MPH
Empower Analytics Group
Commissioned by:
Natural Resources Defense Council
KEY FINDINGS
Premature deaths and illness each year
At the potential 9 GW full buildout, air pollution from Stratos's methane-gas power generation is estimated to cause approximately 5–45 additional premature deaths and $75–690 million in health-related economic damages annually. At the committed 3 GW initial phase, estimated annual harms are 1.6–15 premature deaths and $25–230 million. Additional harms include new asthma cases, nonfatal heart attacks, hospital visits, and lost work and school days.
The choice of generating technology matters
At the same capacity, gas-fired reciprocating engines (RICE) are estimated to cause roughly five to six times the premature deaths and economic damages of modern combined-cycle gas. Every methane-gas scenario evaluated carries substantial public-health costs.
Health harms extend far beyond the project site
At 9 GW, more than 80% of estimated damages would occur outside Utah. Within Utah, Salt Lake County would experience the greatest total damages and Box Elder County the greatest damages per resident.
Understanding the estimates
Combined-cycle values assume 90% utilization and exclude backup generators. RICE values scale a permitted Utah facility's potential-to-emit, including its diesel backup generators and chiller burners. These scenarios are not predictions of what Stratos will build or bounds on its emissions.
Ranges reflect generating technology and two alternative estimates of fine-particle (PM₂.₅ ) mortality, not statistical confidence intervals. Deaths and damages include PM₂.₅ and ozone.; damages are in 2023 dollars. See the report and Technical Appendix for assumptions and methods.
Stratos has not specified its generating equipment, so the analysis evaluates plausible scenarios. It estimates emissions, resulting air pollution, health harms, and economic damages from on-site power generation. lt does not evaluate construction, water use, noise, or land use.
EmPower Analytics Group prepared this analysis for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NIRDC), which commissioned the study. The analysis, findings, and conclusions reflect the independent scientific work and professional judgment of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of NRDC.