Facebook plans to build huge Utah data center
Facebook plans to build a data center in Utah on a 490-acre site, the social media company and government officials announced on Wednesday.
The Eagle Mountain, Utah, facility will be 970,000 square feet and located about 15 miles south of a National Security Agency data center in Bluffdale, Utah.
When the data center opens in 2020, it is expected to create 30 to 50 full-time jobs with additional contract workers possible. The project represents a $750 million investment in Eagle Mountain, the city said.
“After a thorough search, we selected Eagle Mountain for a number of reasons – it provides good access to renewable energy, a strong talent pool, and a great set of partners,” Rachel Peterson, vice president of data center strategy at Facebook, said in a news release.
Facebook will invest $100 million in local infrastructure such as roads and a new electric substation. The Silicon Valley-based company is set to receive $150 million in property tax incentives, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Lawmakers approved a sales tax exemption in 2016 in hopes of attracting new data centers.
Facebook had previously explored building a data center in the city of West Jordan, Utah, but that proposal was scrapped about two years ago.
A rendering of Facebook's planned data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah. (Eagle Mountain City)