Canadian billionaire Kevin O’Leary has pushed back against claims surrounding a proposed data center project in Utah, saying false information is being spread online about the development. In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), O’Leary said some groups opposing the project were circulating misleading claims about environmental damage, power use and the scale of the facility. In the post, he also alleged that foreign-linked interests connected to China may be involved in efforts to slow data center and energy infrastructure projects in the United States.
Kevin O’Leary rejects claims about Utah AI project
Kevin O’Leary said local communities have the right to ask questions and seek environmental reviews before construction begins. “Everybody living in these communities deserves answers, and every concern should go through the proper legal and environmental process,” he wrote adding that permits covering “air, water, noise, temperature, and full disclosure” should be completed before work starts on the project.However, O’Leary said some claims being shared online were false.“None of it is true,” he wrote, referring to allegations that the project would drain the Great Salt Lake, consume Utah’s power supply or become “the size of Manhattan.”According to O’Leary, the project will generate its own power and create jobs and tax revenue for local communities. “We’re building our own power generation, following the law, and creating thousands of jobs and major tax revenue for Utah communities,” he said.
Kevin O’Leary alleges coordinated opposition campaign
The businessman also claimed his team investigated what he described as a coordinated online campaign targeting the Utah AI project and other energy infrastructure efforts in North America.Kevin O’Leary said the investigation involved reviewing nonprofit filings and online activity. He alleged that some of the opposition was linked to activist networks and foreign-connected funding. “After reviewing IRS filings and conducting audits, I became convinced that foreign-linked money, including interests connected to China, is helping fuel efforts to slow power generation and data center development in the United States,” he wrote.
Here’s what Kevin O’Leary wrote on X
Everybody living in these communities deserves answers, and every concern should go through the proper legal and environmental process. That means permits for air, water, noise, temperature, and full disclosure before anything gets built. But after our Utah project was approved, a wave of misinformation started spreading claims that we’re draining the Great Salt Lake, stealing Utah’s power, or building something the size of Manhattan. None of it is true. We’re building our own power generation, following the law, and creating thousands of jobs and major tax revenue for Utah communities.So I started asking where all this coordinated opposition was coming from. That led us to organizations like Alliance for a Better Utah and funding networks connected through groups like Arabella. After reviewing IRS filings and conducting audits, I became convinced that foreign linked money, including interests connected to China, is helping fuel efforts to slow power generation and data center development in the United States.
