Data Centers

In 2025 and beyond, one of the most consequential issues facing Wisconsin’s energy future is the wave of data centers proposed by companies like Microsoft.

These facilities demand massive amounts of electricity, and We Energies is eyeing a staggering $2.2 billion in new infrastructure to meet it. This includes a $1.2 billion, 1,100-megawatt natural gas plant, a smaller gas facility near the Paris solar farm, 33 miles of gas pipelines, and a liquefied natural gas storage site in Oak Creek.

While utilities stand to profit for decades from such projects, CUB is asking the tough questions: How many of these data centers will actually materialize? And if they do, why should Wisconsin utility customers—not billion-dollar tech companies—foot the bill for new plants and power lines?

We’re urging the Public Service Commission to closely examine these proposals to prevent unnecessary overbuilding and to protect consumers from long-term costs tied to infrastructure that may become obsolete.

Wisconsin should join other states and adopt integrated resource planning processes that craft a coherent well thought out road map for the energy transition. Without that, our energy system is careening down the highway without the benefit of GPS — or even a map.

Check out the current data center cases below!

 

Public comment period extended for natural gas project
 870 450 Tom Content

State energy regulators on Tuesday, March 25, ended a hearing before everyone who attended had the chance to voice their comments about $1.7 billion in natural gas projects proposed by We Energies in Oak Creek. Frustrated members of the public objected to the hearing ending after less than two hours, after the earlier afternoon hearing…

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