2 data center projects in Unincorporated Iron County
Who decides here: the Iron County Commissioners decides on zoning for land outside city and town limits.
In Unincorporated Iron County
Project Antelope data center west of Cedar City
Unincorporated Iron County, Iron County
640 acres
🕒 June 4, 2026: Iron County Planning Commission unanimously approved the conditional use permit.
ProposedRed Butte energy and data center campus (BrightNight)
Unincorporated Iron County, Iron County
2,600 acres
🕒 May 26, 2026: Iron County adopted a 180-day pause on new data center applications; Red Butte is on hold.
Local votes and rules
✅ Approved · Iron County
The county planning commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit for Pronghorn Development's 'Project Antelope': up to five data center buildings (6.75 million sq ft) and a gas power plant of up to 1.5 gigawatts on about 640 acres along Antelope Springs Road, west of Cedar City. The permit has 62 conditions, including noise monitoring, water and dark-sky rules.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers · Iron County
County commissioners passed an emergency 180-day pause on new applications for data centers, data center power plants and solar power plants (Ordinance 2026-13). It does not stop the Pronghorn 'Project Antelope' data center, whose application was already complete. It does pause BrightNight's Red Butte project. On August 10, 2026 the commission took up a change (Ordinance 2026-18) so the pause does not cover battery storage projects that already had a permit.
What you can do
- Get told first.
We'll email you if anything changes in Unincorporated Iron County. - Go to county meetings.
Anyone can speak. Big projects usually need a public hearing. - Ask questions in writing.
Use our checklist.
🔔 Get told first
⚡ Your electric company
Depending on where you live in Unincorporated Iron County: Pacificorp (company) or Dixie Escalante R E A, Inc. (co-op (owned by its members)).
Big data centers need a lot of power. Who pays for new power lines depends on state rules. See the rules in Utah.
🙋 Open tasks here
- When will the appeal be heard, and what did the hearing officer decide?
- How much water will it use?
- Will the county's new rules allow the project when the pause ends?