(WXYZ) — The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved a contract for DTE for a massive data center that will be built in Saline Township.
Watch Tiarra Braddock's video report:
DTE issued the following statement on the approval:
We appreciate the Michigan Public Service Commission's review and approval of our special contracts for Oracle’s data center project. These contracts protect our customers — including ensuring that there will be no stranded assets — while enabling Michigan's growth. DTE Energy has an obligation to serve any customer, including data centers, that come into our electric service territory in southeast Michigan. That’s why we’ve been so focused on making sure our broader customer base is protected with these contracts to ensure they will not subsidize data center rates. We acknowledge there’s a range of viewpoints and emotions about this decision. We remain deeply committed to supporting our customers and the communities we serve by delivering the safe, reliable energy they depend on each day.
The decision came during a heated public hearing, with some residents walking out after the MPSC made their decision.
Kathryn Haushalter, a mother from Saline Township who attended the hearing, blasted the commissioners following the decision, saying, "I wonder if you guys are parents. I am. I have 4 kids, and they're 4, well, she just turned 5, and 6, and 8, and 10, and 12, and I live .145 miles from the site, I see it from my bedroom window. I know you look at facts, but this is affecting real people, and I wonder if in five years you'll come over to my house and want a drink of water from my well water. Would you drink it? Would you? When the power does go out, and you have to shut off their power, and they're running hundreds of generators, diesel generators, are you going to come over with a gas mask so my kids can still play outside and get fresh air? What you did is hurting real families. You can say and justify it however you want, but I want you to remember my kids and remember me. You're hurting us. You do not serve me."
The meeting included one commissioner noting that DTE is bearing all the risk of the project, should the company behind it, Green Chile LLC, not make payments. It was said during the meeting that that burden won't fall on other customers.
Today's meeting was to discuss DTE's contract to provide power to the proposed 1.4 gigawatt data center in Saline Township. The proposed center, which is designed for OpenAI by Oracle and Related Digital, has sparked heated debate in the community over costs, transparency, and its potential impact on residents.
At the last MPSC meeting on December 5, over 100 people showed up online and in person with questions and concerns.
Attorney General Dana Nessel has been critical of the project, calling for transparency, after only being given a highly redacted copy of the contract between DTE and developers.
FULL INTERVIEW: Attorney General Dana Nessel on data centers in Michigan
You can read the formal approval below:
MPSC approval for Saline Township data center by WXYZ-TV Channel 7 Detroit
