Today, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging Michigan residents to file public comments with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC), calling for public hearings over DTE’s plans to service an anticipated 1.4-gigawatt data center in Saline. DTE Electric has filed an ex parte request for approval of two special contracts to provide electric service to the data center and specifically requests their application be approved with no formal hearings or any of the traditional oversight in place that secure the interests of ratepayers and the public. It is anticipated that DTE’s costs to build the infrastructure to support this data center will number in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
“The Commission needs to hear from the people of Michigan that we don’t want corners cut and shortcuts taken when it comes to such a monumental moment as our state enters the data center era and economy,” said Nessel. “How we handle these first massive data centers could impact everything from the electric bill in your mailbox, to our clean energy generation future, and widespread water and land use throughout both peninsulas. Before long, corporate data centers may be the largest energy consumers in our state, and we must thoroughly, and publicly, review these first contracts with an eye on protecting Michigan ratepayers and our shared resources.”