Saline Township Data Center: Public input requested on DTE contract to power facility

Residents weigh in on proposed AI data center

Saline Township residents giving local leaders an earful tonight all over a controversial AI data center set to be built in the middle of a farming community. Neighbors don’t want it for several reasons, but the Township says their hands are tied.

(FOX 2) - The public is invited to give their input on a proposed data center outside of Ann Arbor in Washtenaw County where the state's public service commission will record comments from residents about DTE's application for energy contracts. 

The hearing will be virtual on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Big picture view:

Companies Oracle, Open AI, and Related Digital recently announced plans for a data center in Saline Township.

The announcement was met with pushback from Washtenaw County residents who opposed plans for a 1.4-gigawatt data center. DTE Electric has sought to fast-track the approval of the facility and bypass public hearings. 

The Michigan Public Service Commission is reviewing the contract to ensure there are protections for ratepayers to ensure residential and business customers are shielded from additional costs.

"It’s important that the public have an opportunity to have their voices heard on how DTE plans to provide electric service to this data center customer and ensure the costs of doing so are not ultimately borne by DTE’s other customers," said MPSC Chair Dan Scripps.

The $7 billion data center would be roughly the size of 30 football fields and would support artificial intelligence.

A proposed data center that would be built in Saline Township. Rendering via Related Digital. 

What you can do:

The public service commission's meeting will take place through Microsoft Teams on Wednesday, Dec. 3 from 6:30 p.m.to 8:30 p.m.

The link to the meeting can be found here. Those who want to give a public comment can also dial 1-248-509-0316 and entering the conference ID 593258092# when prompted.