Capitol News

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a notice of intervention with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) regarding DTE’s request for approval of two special contracts to provide electricity to a proposed data center. The planned facility, which would be located near Saline, Michigan, is linked to Green Chile Ventures LLC, a subsidiary of Oracle Corporation.

Nessel is asking the MPSC to treat the case as contested and to hold public hearings due to uncertainties about the project and possible financial risks for DTE’s utility customers. According to Nessel, “Reducing electric bills and making energy affordable is essential. That’s why I’m asking the Commission to hold a public hearing on this case – to make sure DTE customers are not stuck footing the bill for a data center that never comes to fruition or uses far less electricity than projected. In either scenario, the massive costs of building the data center won't just disappear. The costs would be passed on to ratepayers, driving up bills for families. A public hearing is the only way to ensure transparency, give customers all the facts, and confirm DTE’s proposal truly protects Michiganders before any approval is granted.”

DTE Electric had submitted an ex parte request for these contracts last week. Such requests do not require public hearings or allow other parties discovery or testimony before a decision is made by regulators. Media reports have noted that providing 1.4 gigawatts of power—equal to more than 1 million average American homes—is similar in scale to powering a large city within DTE’s service area.

Earlier this year, when Consumers Energy made an ex parte request related to another large-scale data center project, the MPSC rejected it and stated that unique cost implications required development of an evidentiary record before considering approval.

Since assuming office, Nessel has intervened in multiple utility cases before the MPSC and claims these actions have saved Michigan consumers over $4 billion.