Jurisdiction Index / US — Utah (Rocky Mountain Power / PacifiCorp, WECC — non-RTO)
US — Utah (Rocky Mountain Power / PacifiCorp, WECC — non-RTO)
JCI composite · as of · methodology v0
US — Utah (Rocky Mountain Power / PacifiCorp, WECC — non-RTO) scores 46.9/100 on the Compute Institute Jurisdiction Competitiveness Index (Tier 3, Contested), ranking #38 of 39 rated jurisdictions with a negative outlook, as of September 7, 2026 under methodology v0. Its strongest dimension is Stability & Execution Risk at 7.2/10; its weakest is Capital & Ecosystem Depth at 2.5/10. 19 of 22 sub-factors are scored on E1–E2 evidence (data confidence A). The negative outlook is driven by 3 forward-looking signals (-0.56 net points, E3–E4 evidence): observed construction velocity (E3), committed capital (E3) and ecosystem (E3).
Dimension breakdown
Seven dimensions, each 0–10, weighted per methodology v0. JCI = Σ(dimension × weight) × 10.
Power Availability & Deliverability
Power Cost
Speed to Build
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment
Fiscal & Incentives
Capital & Ecosystem Depth
Stability & Execution Risk
Outlook drivers — Negative (-0.56 net points)
Forward-looking E3–E4 signals. They move the outlook only — never the base score.
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Observed construction velocity -0.31 pts as of
“LOW CONFIDENCE — this sub-factor is normally fed by our internal tracked-campus database, which was not available to this research pass, so the figure below is external. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute (University of Utah, April 2026) counts 48 operational data centers in Utah totalling over 920 MW, with the ten largest accounting for about 735 MW (roughly 80%), and seven facilities under construction that would add 2,600 MW — of which 1,700 MW is behind-the-meter or off-grid. Real delivery exists but from a small absolute base, and the majority of new capacity is being built with self-supplied power rather than delivered utility service.”
Source: Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, University of Utah, 'Data Center Growth in Utah and the United States,' Data Summary, April 2026 (d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net)
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Committed capital -0.25 pts as of
“LOW CONFIDENCE — this sub-factor is normally fed by our internal project database, which was not available to this research pass; no verified dollar figure for tracked Utah campus commitments could be established from primary sources. The best externally verifiable proxy is the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute's April 2026 count of seven under-construction facilities representing 2,600 MW of additional capacity on top of 920+ MW operational; announced-pipeline totals circulating in press (tens of gigawatts, tens of billions of dollars) could not be corroborated against any primary filing and are not relied on here.”
Source: Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, University of Utah, 'Data Center Growth in Utah and the United States,' Data Summary, April 2026 (d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net)
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Ecosystem +0.00 pts as of
“Utah has a genuine but mid-tier operating cluster: 48 operational data centers exceeding 920 MW concentrated in Salt Lake City, West Jordan, Bluffdale, Eagle Mountain and Delta, with the ten largest holding roughly 735 MW (about 80% of installed capacity), per the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute (April 2026). That is enough depth in colocation operators, hyperscale tenants and construction supply chain to execute, but it is an order of magnitude below Northern Virginia, Dallas or Phoenix, and PacifiCorp's non-RTO WECC footprint offers no organized capacity market.”
Source: Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, University of Utah, 'Data Center Growth in Utah and the United States,' Data Summary, April 2026 (d36oiwf74r1rap.cloudfront.net)
Sub-factor scores and sources
Every base-scored input below carries E1–E2 evidence: a justification, an evidence-level grade, and a link to the underlying source document.
Power Availability & Deliverability — 3.4/10 (weight 20%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grid headroom 40% of dimension | 3.5 /10 | PacifiCorp's 2025 IRP (filed 3/31/2025) forecasts system summer coincident peak of 11,318 MW in 2025 rising to only 11,844 MW in 2030 (1.67% CAGR, 2025-2044) — and it deliberately EXCLUDES data center load from that base plan, stating that new large loads 'fall outside of the tra... as of | PacifiCorp, 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, Volume I (Utah), Chapter 6 Table 6.1 and Chapter 9 note 5 www.pacificorp.com | |
| Time-to-power 35% of dimension | 3 /10 | Utah's largest colocation operator permitted its own generation rather than await utility service: Utah DAQ Approval Order DAQE-AN160660003-24, issued 19 Dec 2024 on an NOI received 30 May 2024 (a 203-day turnaround), authorizes Novva SLC Common LLC in West Jordan to install 72 J... as of | Utah S.B. 132 (2025 General Session), Enrolled Copy — enacting Utah Code 54-26-402, Alternative service requirements le.utah.gov | |
| Energy mix & expandability 15% of dimension | 4.8 /10 | Coal remained Utah's primary electricity source in 2024 (EIA, Utah Electricity Profile 2024, Table 1). PacifiCorp's 2025 IRP preferred portfolio adds 2,092 MW of new utility-scale solar by end-2030, 3,822 MW by end-2035 and 4,765 MW by end-2045, plus 320 MW of new small-scale sol... as of | PacifiCorp, 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, Volume I (Utah), Chapter 6 Table 6.1 and Chapter 9 note 5 www.pacificorp.com | |
| Water availability 10% of dimension | 2.6 /10 | Utah's water constraint on data centers is real but is a policy constraint rather than a supply-exhaustion one, and the distinction binds differently. The operative instrument is Executive Order 2026-03 (29 May 2026), directing every state executive agency to hold any 'large data... as of | Utah Executive Order 2026-03, Establishing a Higher Bar for Data Center Development in Utah, 29 May 2026 (Framework principle 4.b.i), read with USGS NWIS gauge 10010000 and Proclamation 2022-01 governor.utah.gov |
Power Cost — 4.6/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial electricity price 60% of dimension | 5 /10 | EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A puts Utah's average industrial retail price at 9.22 cents/kWh in June 2026 against a U.S. industrial average of 9.17 cents/kWh — Utah is no longer a discount power market for industrial load. On an annual basis, EIA's Utah Electricity Profil... as of | U.S. EIA, Utah Electricity Profile 2024, Table 1 (2024 Summary statistics) www.eia.gov | |
| Price trajectory & exposure 25% of dimension | 3 /10 | Utah industrial power rose 8.7% year over year (8.48 to 9.22 cents/kWh, June 2025 to June 2026, EIA Table 5.6.A), and the underlying rate case is only partly resolved: Rocky Mountain Power sought $667.3 million, described by the Commission as 'an overall revenue requirement of $2... as of | Utah H.B. 507 (2026 General Session), Enrolled Copy — enacting Utah Code 59-35-201(1) le.utah.gov | |
| Cost certainty / contractability 15% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Utah Code Title 54 Chapter 26 (S.B. 132, 2025) expressly authorizes bespoke large load contracts, connected generation systems and closed private generation systems for customers reaching 100 MW within five years, so contractability is statutorily guaranteed — but the price terms... as of | Rocky Mountain Power, Reply Comments re Scope and Principles of Potential Large Load Flexible Tariff, Utah PSC Dockets 25-R318-01 and 24-035-43, 19 Mar 2026 pscdocs.utah.gov |
Speed to Build — 4.6/10 (weight 17.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permitting regime 40% of dimension | 4 /10 | Air permitting itself is fast — Utah DAQ turned Novva's 236 MW on-site generation NOI around in 203 days (received 30 May 2024, Approval Order 19 Dec 2024) — but the state-level overlay tightened sharply in 2026: Executive Order 2026-03 (29 May 2026) binds every executive agency... as of | Utah Executive Order 2026-03, Establishing a Higher Bar for Data Center Development in Utah, 29 May 2026 (Framework principle 4.b.i), read with USGS NWIS gauge 10010000 and Proclamation 2022-01 governor.utah.gov | |
| Observed construction velocity 35% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Labor & supply capacity 25% of dimension | 5.5 /10 | Utah Department of Workforce Services reports 1,790,300 nonfarm jobs in June 2026, up 26,300 (1.5%) year over year, with construction adding 3,400 jobs — but seasonally adjusted unemployment of 3.6% against a 4.2% national rate and only about 66,200 unemployed Utahns statewide me... as of | Utah Department of Workforce Services, Utah's Employment Summary: June 2026 jobs.utah.gov |
Regulatory & AI Policy Environment — 5/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-specific law in force 35% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | Utah has binding enacted AI law, and it is narrow. S.B. 226 (2025), 'Artificial Intelligence Consumer Protection Amendments,' enacted Utah Code 13-75-101 through -106 effective 7 May 2025 and repealed predecessor 13-2-12. Duties attach only to a 'supplier' in a consumer transacti... as of | Utah H.B. 320 (2026 General Session), Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy Amendments, Enrolled Copy — amending Utah Code 13-72-101, -201, -301 and renumbering 13-72-302 to 13-72-401 le.utah.gov | |
| DC-specific regulation 35% of dimension | 4.3 /10 | Utah has among the most data-center-specific statutory regimes of any US state, but it is a transparency-and-cost-causation regime rather than a siting restriction. H.B. 76 (2026), effective 6 May 2026, enacts Utah Code 73-5-8.3: a facility with annual water withdrawal of 75 acre... as of | Utah H.B. 507 (2026 General Session), Enrolled Copy — enacting Utah Code 59-35-201(1) le.utah.gov | |
| Regulatory predictability 30% of dimension | 4 /10 | Four material data-center-relevant regime changes landed in fourteen months — S.B. 132 (Utah Code Title 54 Chapter 26) signed March 2025, then H.B. 76 and H.B. 507 both effective 6 May 2026, then Executive Order 2026-03 on 29 May 2026 — while the central open question is not mere... as of | Utah S.B. 132 (2025 General Session), Enrolled Copy — enacting Utah Code 54-26-402, Alternative service requirements le.utah.gov |
Fiscal & Incentives — 6.2/10 (weight 10%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enacted incentives 40% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | Utah Code 59-12-104(84) grants a standing statutory sales and use tax exemption for machinery, equipment, and normal operating repair or replacement parts with an economic life of one year or more purchased or leased by a qualifying data center or its occupants and used in the da... as of | Utah Code 59-12-104, Exemptions, subsection (84) (effective 1 Jan 2026) le.utah.gov | |
| Headline tax burden 40% of dimension | 6 /10 | Utah levies a flat 4.45% corporate franchise and income tax for taxable years beginning on or after 1 Jan 2026, cut from 4.5% by S.B. 60 (2026) amending Utah Code 59-7-104(2) ('The tax shall be [4.5] 4.45% of a corporation's Utah taxable income'), effective 6 May 2026 with retros... as of | Utah S.B. 60 (2026 General Session), Income Tax Rate Amendments, Enrolled Copy — amending Utah Code 59-7-104(2) le.utah.gov | |
| Incentive durability 20% of dimension | 6 /10 | H.B. 507 (effective 6 May 2026) demonstrates both the risk and the protection: beginning 6 May 2027 a political subdivision 'may not provide an incentive to a large load data center' except through a regionally significant development zone, up to 60% of overlapping project-area p... as of | Utah H.B. 507 (2026 General Session), Enrolled Copy — enacting Utah Code 59-35-201(1) le.utah.gov |
Capital & Ecosystem Depth — 2.5/10 (weight 12.5%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committed capital 40% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Ecosystem 30% of dimension | — | Excluded — no E1–E2 evidence available; weaker evidence cannot enter a base score. | — | — |
| Sovereign/anchor capital availability 30% of dimension | 2.5 /10 | Utah is a US state with no sovereign wealth fund and no state entity taking equity in compute infrastructure. The nearest analogue is the Electrical Energy Development Investment Fund created by H.B. 249 (2025) at Utah Code 79-6-1105 — an expendable special revenue fund that 'con... as of | Utah H.B. 249 (2025 General Session), Nuclear Power Amendments, Enrolled Copy — enacting Utah Code 79-6-1105 (Electrical Energy Development Investment Fund) and 79-6-1106 (Authorized uses of fund money) le.utah.gov |
Stability & Execution Risk — 7.2/10 (weight 15%)
|
Sub-factor
|
Score
|
Justification
|
Evidence
|
Source
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political/policy continuity 40% of dimension | 6.5 /10 | Moody's affirmed Utah's Aaa issuer credit rating on 10 June 2025, citing strong fiscal governance and minimal debt, and Utah is one of only 14 states holding top-tier ratings from all three major agencies. Institutional and fiscal continuity is therefore near-best-in-class — but... as of | Office of Governor Spencer J. Cox, 'Moody's Affirms Utah's Aaa Credit Rating, Citing Strong Fiscal Governance and Resilience,' 10 June 2025 governor.utah.gov | |
| Currency, transfer & convertibility 35% of dimension | 9.5 /10 | Utah transacts in US dollars with no capital controls, no repatriation restrictions and no convertibility risk. The BIS 2025 Triennial Central Bank Survey records global OTC FX turnover of $9.6 trillion per day in April 2025 on a 'net-net' basis across all FX instruments, up 28%... as of | Bank for International Settlements, Triennial Central Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange — April 2025 www.bis.org | |
| Physical & geopolitical risk 25% of dimension | 5 /10 | Geopolitical risk is negligible, but seismic exposure along the corridor where essentially all Utah data centers are sited is material and quantified: the Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities (USGS/Utah Geological Survey) puts the probability of one or more M6.75+ earth... as of | U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2016-3019, 'Earthquake Forecast for the Wasatch Front Region of the Intermountain West' ugspub.nr.utah.gov |
Signals
Recent ingested source documents linked to this jurisdiction via extracted claims or triage mentions, newest first.
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· ENR - main · relevance 0.00
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· Data Center Dynamics · relevance 0.90
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· Power Engineering · relevance 0.10
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· Renewable Energy World · relevance 0.10
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· Quartz · relevance 0.95
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· Utility Dive · relevance 0.40
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· Newsweek · relevance 0.70
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· The Street · relevance 0.70
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· HPCwire · relevance 0.20
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· BD+C Building Team · relevance 0.20
Scores are reproducible from the frozen inputs snapshot recorded at computation time (2026-09-07T05:00:04+00:00). See the full methodology for rubrics, weights, and the evidence ladder.