Michigan Data Center Intel

Recent Michigan data center news

• Apr 8, 2026

  Heelstone Renewable starts construction on 206MW US solar projects

  Heelstone Renewable Energy has started construction on two US solar PV projects totaling 206MW.

  • Project details: Heelstone (a Qualitas Energy company) began construction on the 104MW Alligator Creek Solar (Wheeler County, Georgia) and the 102MW Murch Solar (Van Buren County, Michigan), backed by long-term PPAs with an unnamed US hyperscale data centre developer; both are expected to reach commercial operation by end of 2026. Alligator Creek reached financial close in December 2025 and Murch closed in March 2026, each securing debt and tax equity commitments and financed on a non-recourse project-level basis.
  • Financing and execution: Construction follows FIDs and signed EPC contracts; advisers and lenders include Paragon Energy Capital (advised Alligator Creek financing), CG/CRC-IB (advised Murch), Stonehenge Capital (tax equity investor and syndication/asset management services), Zions Bancorporation, ING Capital, and Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale as coordinating lead arrangers/lenders. Heelstone appointed Pure Power Contractors for Alligator Creek and Greensol Renewables for Murch. Heelstone also recently completed a $200m senior secured corporate credit facility to support its pipeline.
• Apr 7, 2026

  Data center news: Ypsilanti Township escalates fight against U of M, Los Alamos project

  Ypsilanti Township board formally resolved March 31 to oppose construction of a University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory data center anywhere in the township.

  • Ypsilanti Township opposition: The township board resolved March 31 to oppose construction of a U‑M / Los Alamos data center anywhere in the township following U‑M’s purchase of a 124‑acre parcel on Textile Road; U‑M says the $1.25‑billion project is a computational research center, no final location has been selected, and community concerns cite environmental impact, national security risks, and lack of transparency.
  • Other verified developments and details:Related Digital is nearing $16 billion in financing for an Oracle data center in Saline Township (part of the Stargate AI initiative); Blackstone is contributing nearly $2 billion equity and Bank of America is leading roughly $14 billion in debt financing structured as a bond offering; the Michigan Public Service Commission unanimously denied Attorney General Dana Nessel’s request to reopen review of DTE Energy’s power contracts for the Saline project; multiple townships have active recall, rezoning, moratorium, or permitting disputes (Lyon Township “Project Flex”, Augusta Township/Thor Equities rezoning, Howell town hall, Deep Green withdrawal in Lansing, Dowagiac expansion by Hyperscale Data).
• Apr 7, 2026

  CO2 battery startup Energy Dome signs MOU to deploy technology at Texas data centre

  Energy Dome has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with New Era Energy & Digital (NUAI) to evaluate deployment of its CO2 Battery Plus at NUAI’s Texas Critical Data Centres (TCDC) in Odessa, Texas.

  • Main announcement: The MOU creates a framework for Energy Dome (headquartered in Italy) and NUAI to evaluate implementing CO2 Battery Plus to support NUAI’s AI-optimised 1GW data centre in Odessa, Texas, with priorities on speed to power, reduced reliance on grid interconnection timelines, high availability for mission-critical operations, and lower-emissions power generation.
  • Background and related projects/details: Energy Dome’s CO2 Battery Plus uses waste heat from OCGT exhaust (removing the need for prior heat storage) and can operate in Charge, Discharge (SuperBoost) and Generation (Boost) modes (SuperBoost can more than double output; Generation can boost net gas turbine output by as much as 25%). Related deployments: 200MWh Sardinia project (financial close 2024, Engie offtake signed in late 2024); Alliant Energy 20MW/200MWh project approved by regulators in July 2025 (construction to begin this year, completion expected by end of 2027). The article also references other LDES and multi-day battery deals including Google’s strategic investment in Energy Dome, Google’s plan for 30GWh of Form Energy iron-air batteries in Minnesota, and Form Energy’s 12GWh supply agreement with Crusoe.
• Apr 4, 2026

  1st Friday Focus on the Environment: Former Michigan Gov. and U.S. Energy Secretary on data centers and energy future

  Jennifer Granholm provided guidance on how data centers should be sited, financed, and integrated with local grids, emphasizing transparency, community benefits, and renewable power.

  • Main announcement/action: Granholm recommended that hyperscalers bring their own power, pay for necessary system upgrades, and commit to flexible load operations so data centers act as community assets rather than burden ratepayers; she cited Google’s Van Buren Township project (agreed to bring power, pay for upgrades, provide weatherization benefits, use clean power and advanced cooling) as an example of doing it right. She also noted national capacity needs estimated at 50–150 gigawatts to meet additional demand from data centers and electrification.
  • Background and details: Granholm framed the comments in the context of federal policy and timelines: she reaffirmed the U.S. goal of net-zero by 2050 (noting 2035 may be missed and 2040 possible), said 92%–94% of recent capacity additions have been renewables, referenced studies from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Brattle Group (showing every well-executed gigawatt can lower costs ~1–2%), and highlighted local Michigan disputes (Saline Township Oracle site, proposed Augusta Township project, University of Michigan/Los Alamos plans in Ypsilanti Township).
• Apr 2, 2026

  Panel discusses how energy demand from data centers nationwide will impact Pennsylvania

  The Clean Energy Group, Clean Air Council and Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania released a report titled “The High Cost of AI: How Data Centers are Reshaping Pennsylvania’s Energy Landscape.”

  • Main finding: The report finds Pennsylvania will export electricity to surrounding PJM states to meet growing data center demand, with PJM relying on Pennsylvania to supply energy to high-demand importers like Virginia (35% of hyperscale data centers); it projects an additional 24 to 44 million metric tons of CO2 by the end of the decade and an estimated $20 billion public health burden in 2028.
  • Background & local context: The report was discussed at a University of Scranton event with local officials and residents; Archbald has six proposed data center campuses under local opposition, the groups support Sen. Katie Muth’s three-year moratorium (co-sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Brown), and utilities such as PPL Electric Utilities perform system upgrade studies that can socialize costs across ratepayers.
• Apr 1, 2026

  Six Emerging Environmental Entrepreneurs Selected for National Fellowship

  E2 and 1 Hotels have announced the 2026 E2 1 Hotels Fellows, awarding six early-career environmental entrepreneurs funding and support to implement projects advancing sustainability, clean energy, and environmental policy.

  • Main announcement: The 2026 E2 1 Hotels Fellows were announced on April 1, 2026, with six fellows each receiving $10,000 to execute projects addressing urban solar, community microgrids, K-12 climate and clean energy workforce development, data center siting and policy toolkits, and the environmental/social impacts of AI. The fellows named are Alex Hill, Alexis Cureton, Danielle Lee, Jolie Villegas, Nathaniel Burola, and Sonali Anderson.
  • Background and details: The fellowship is in its eighth year, started with a donation from 1 Hotels founder Barry Sternlicht and the Sternlicht Sustainability Fund; fellows also receive mentorship from E2 members and membership in E2’s Emerging Leaders program. The press release notes E2 members have collectively managed more than $100 billion in venture and private equity capital and supported over 2,500 companies.
• Mar 31, 2026

  Michigan approves 1,332MW of BESS with 332MW supporting Oracle data centre

  The Michigan Public Service Commission approved six battery energy storage system (BESS) projects totalling 1,332MW.

  • Main action: The MPSC approved six BESS contracts — Big Mitten Energy Centre (450MW), Monroe 1 Energy Centre (350MW), Fermi Energy Centre (200MW), Fish Creek Energy Centre (132MW), Cold Creek Energy Centre (100MW), and Pine River Energy Centre (100MW) — totalling 1,332MW. The first three projects (1,000MW) satisfy DTE Electric’s IRP settlement requiring at least 850MW, and the Big Mitten contract is a 20-year tolling agreement while Fermi and Monroe 1 are self-build contracts.
  • Background and implementation details: The last three (Fish Creek, Cold Creek, Pine River) are company-owned (DTE Electric) and will support a 1,383MW data centre developed by Green Chile Ventures (Oracle) in Saline Township; Oracle/Green Chile must develop 1,383MW of company-owned storage but initially will fund 332MW of storage capacity for the data centre and cover costs over 15 years. The MPSC denied rehearing petitions, citing lack of standing and no new evidence, and set protections including a minimum 19-year contract, 80% minimum billing demand, and a termination payment up to 10 years’ worth of minimum billing demand.
• Mar 27, 2026

  Trump Admin’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: What It Means for Hyperscalers

  Seven major operators—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle, and xAI—signed the White House-brokered Ratepayer Protection Pledge on March 4, committing to build, procure, or directly fund new electricity generation capacity and to cover transmission and interconnection upgrade costs rather than passing them on to residential or commercial ratepayers.

  • Main announcement: The seven named hyperscalers signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge (White House-brokered, March 4) to fund new generation and pay for transmission/interconnection upgrades tied to their U.S. data center demand; the pledge explicitly shifts upgrade costs away from residential/commercial ratepayers and toward data center builders.
  • Context and implementation details: States and regional operators are already acting (e.g., Texas Senate Bill 6, PJM process updates) to assign large-load cost responsibility; companies are negotiating tailored agreements (upfront funding, cost-sharing, long-term commitments), examples include Microsoft’s Community-First framework and Microsoft’s involvement in restarting a Three Mile Island unit, while EPRI projects accelerated electricity demand growth through 2030.
• Mar 23, 2026

  Data center news: Michigan Chamber, DTE among members of new data center coalition

  The Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Regional Chamber, DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and several trade unions launched the Michigan for Responsible Data Centers coalition to counter “misinformation” and provide fact-based resources to communities evaluating data center proposals.

  • Coalition launch: The new coalition (Michigan for Responsible Data Centers) includes Michigan Chamber of Commerce, Detroit Regional Chamber, DTE Energy, Consumers Energy, and several trade unions; it aims to provide fact-based resources and counter claims of “misinformation” about proposed data centers while projects by Google, Oracle, and Microsoft proceed in Michigan.
  • Additional developments & meetings:Jocelyn Benson proposed data center guardrails—mandatory public hearings, full transparency, environmental protections, developers to cover increased energy costs, and mandatory union labor agreements; Microsoft is purchasing 57.8 acres in Gaines Township and has a rezoning request to be heard on April 15; multiple townships are considering or imposing moratoriums.
    • April 15: Gaines Township planning commission will consider Microsoft’s rezoning request at South Christian High School; Microsoft and Consumers Energy representatives expected to attend (agenda: rezoning and community concerns including water, energy, noise, pollution).
    • April 1: Frenchtown Township Planning Commission will review a proposed data center moratorium (agenda: review draft moratorium and public comment).
• Mar 20, 2026

  How to Build an Affordable Energy Future

  NRDC will develop and release a series of papers called the Build Clean Agenda focused on three areas of reform to speed clean energy and infrastructure deployment.

  • Main action: NRDC will publish a multi-paper Build Clean Agenda to modernize laws and permitting, level the playing field for clean energy, and design projects that benefit communities; it calls for U.S. renewable energy production to roughly quadruple, and for at least tripling grid capacity over the next 25 years, and highlights the Western Solar Plan identifying 31 million acres for siting solar on public lands.
  • Background and specifics: The piece documents concrete barriers and numbers: the oil, gas, and coal industries receive $34 billion in annual federal subsidies; a 2025 partisan tax bill risks an estimated half a trillion dollars of private clean-energy investment and may raise consumer fuel/energy costs $78–$192 per year; it cites projects like the Grain Belt Express facing multi-year delays and supports targeted reforms such as expanding the “One Federal Decision” approach and giving a federal lead (e.g., FERC) authority to coordinate interstate transmission permitting where uniform standards are met.