Michigan Data Center Intel

Recent Michigan data center news

• Dec 17, 2025

  Data center protest at Michigan Capitol aims to pressure regulators ahead of DTE Energy decision

  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel called for an in-depth review and a contested hearing of DTE Energy’s contracts for Oracle and OpenAI’s proposed $7 billion Saline Township data center.

  • Main action and demand:Dana Nessel publicly displayed redacted contracts and urged the Michigan Public Service Commission to deny DTE’s request for ex parte approval and instead open a contested hearing so ratepayer, environmental and business groups can submit testimony. Key facts: $7 billion project value, DTE says the project “will not increase the cost of service for other customers”, the data center customer can terminate the agreement if not approved by Dec. 19, and the MPSC meeting is scheduled 1-2 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2025.
  • Background, context and next steps: Concerns include energy and water demands, potential activation of the climate law’s “off ramp” for capacity shortfalls, and PFAS pollution risks raised by State Rep. Reggie Miller. Developer claims include hundreds of temporary construction jobs and tax benefits. Key regulatory actions and civic engagement details:
    • MPSC meeting: Dec. 18, 2025, 1-2 p.m., Michigan Public Service Commission, 7109 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing, MI 48917 (in person or via videoconference). Contact: LARA-MPSC-commissioners@michigan.gov.
    • EGLE wetland permit hearing: Dec. 18, 2025, 6:00 p.m. (virtual) for wetland/stream/floodplain impacts; registration link provided and phone access (855-758-1310, meeting ID 841 0513 8539 #).
    • Advocacy groups to follow: Sierra Club Michigan Chapter, Citizens Utility Board of Michigan. Civic contact: connect@planetdetroit.org.
• Dec 16, 2025

  Southfield City Council greenlights divisive data center plan: ‘Too many unknowns’

  Metrobloks received Southfield City Council approval for a 109,683-square-foot data center on 12.19 acres that will require 100 megawatts of power and was approved by a 5-2 vote.

  • Project details and developer commitments: The site plan approval covers a 109,683-square-foot facility on 12.19 acres (east side of Inkster Road between 11 Mile Road and I-696) that will require 100 megawatts of power; the developer says the project will be built in two phases with an estimated total cost of $1.5 billion (the slide deck lists $500 million, a noted discrepancy). Metrobloks said it currently has funding for land and utility upgrades but not full capitalization and will borrow against a tenant contract once a tenant is confirmed; the facility will use a closed-loop cooling system consuming 10–20 gallons of water per day, and the developer expects ~35 permanent positions and estimated $400,000/year in property tax revenue (early estimate). The city placed conditions on approval including compliance with ordinances, minimal tree/soil removal, and inspection rights, and EGLE can enforce state environmental laws.

  • Community response, oversight, and background: The approval followed nearly six hours of public comment with majority opposition asking for a health impact study, community benefits agreement, and transparency; Councilmembers Charles Hicks and Ashanti Bland voted no (citing insufficient fact-based information and public health concerns from AI data centers referenced in the HBR article), while Coretta Houge supported the project saying the city must consider new technologies. Metrobloks (founded 2024) has not yet built a data center but cites executive experience from Amazon and Meta and lists Detroit as a strategic hub; it is targeting Indianapolis, Phoenix, Miami, and Paris for future development. Next Southfield City Council meeting noted: Jan. 5, 2026 at 6 p.m., Southfield City Hall, 26000 Evergreen Road.

• Dec 16, 2025

  Ford scraps EV plans, shifts to hybrids, EREVs and low-cost models

  Ford Motor Co. announced a major shift in its electrification, vehicle lineup and stationary energy storage strategy on Monday.

  • Main announcement — strategic realignment and product plan: Ford is shifting away from pure EV focus toward hybrids, extended-range EVs and more affordable EVs, aiming to offer a hybrid or multi-energy powertrain for nearly every vehicle by 2030 and targeting ~50% of global sales to be hybrids/extended-range EVs/EVs by 2030 (up from 17% in 2025). The company will launch five new affordable vehicles by 2030 (four assembled in the U.S.) and put Model e on a path to profitability by 2029. Key production timelines: the first EV on the new Universal EV Platform — a fully connected midsize pickup — will be assembled at Louisville Assembly beginning in 2027; the Tennessee Truck Plant will produce all-new truck models beginning in 2029; the Ohio Assembly Plant will build a new gas and hybrid commercial van starting in 2029.

  • Background, implementation details and capital/operations actions: Ford will scale its stationary battery storage business, converting its Kentucky plant to manufacture 5 MWh+ DC container systems for customers including data centers and utilities, with first shipments in 2027 and 20 GWh annual capacity planned. The company expects to invest around $2 billion over the next two years to scale battery storage and produce smaller Amp-hour cells at BlueOval Battery Park Michigan. Ford expects about $19.5 billion in non-recurring costs tied to the strategy (majority in Q4) and ~$5.5 billion specifically related to canceled vehicle programs and plant retooling (majority paid in 2026, remainder in 2027). Ford also announced a partnership with Renault to launch two EU EVs (first expected early 2028) and plans to hire thousands to boost U.S. production, including pickups at BlueOval City.

• Dec 16, 2025

  Chairwoman McClain, Rep. Griffith Statements on House Passing Legislation to Ensure Reliable Energy

  The U.S. House of Representatives has passed Rep. Morgan Griffith’s H.R. 3632, the Power Plant Reliability Act, to keep critical power plants online and ensure reliable, affordable energy.

  • The bill aims to prevent premature retirement of baseload plants using natural gas, coal, and nuclear, which supporters say is necessary to avoid blackout threats and maintain reliable power for U.S. homes, factories, and communities.
  • House Republican leaders, including Chairwoman Lisa McClain, Speaker Johnson, Leader Scalise, Whip Emmer, Chairman Guthrie, and Chairwoman Foxx, frame the legislation as a response to President Biden’s and ‘Green New Deal’-style policies they characterize as an anti-energy regulatory agenda, emphasizing affordable and reliable American energy and lower costs for families; statement dated December 16, 2025, Washington.
• Dec 16, 2025

  Saline Township resident alleges data center settlement was improper: Township attorney says ‘everybody saw them vote’

  Kathryn Haushalter filed a motion to intervene seeking to void the consent judgment that allowed a planned $7 billion Oracle and OpenAI data center in Saline Township.

  • Main action: Haushalter filed to intervene and asks the court to throw out the consent judgment negotiated with Related Digital, alleging a violation of Michigan’s Open Meetings Act and that the township vote to settle was not held in public; Haushalter lives 256 yards from the planned site and is represented by attorney Robby Dube.
  • Background & settlement details: The township board previously voted 4-1 to deny rezoning for 575 acres; Related Digital sued in Washtenaw County Circuit Court and later settled. The settlement includes $4,000,000 for a farmland preservation trust fund, $2,000,000 for a community investment fund, $8,000,000 for area fire services, protections for water resources, a decommissioning fund, preservation of approximately 200 acres (with 47.5 acres of wetlands under conservation easement), a 55-decibel noise limit, and a commitment that site water will not be used for cooling (facility will use its own well and waste treatment). Sub-bullets for upcoming civic actions:
    • MPSC meeting: Dec. 18, 1-2 p.m., Michigan Public Service Commission, 7109 W. Saginaw Highway, Lansing, Michigan (in person or via videoconference) to consider DTE filings related to the data center.
    • EGLE hearing: Dec. 18, 6 p.m., virtual hearing on wetland/stream/floodplain permit for the Saline data center (registration link provided in article).
• Dec 15, 2025

  Activists to rally in Lansing for statewide moratorium on new AI data centers

  Residents from across Michigan have announced a rally calling on state legislators to enact a statewide moratorium on new artificial intelligence data centers.

  • Main announcement: Organizers scheduled a bipartisan rally on Dec. 16, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on the state Capitol lawn, calling for a statewide moratorium on new AI data centers and demanding that approvals not be fast-tracked.

    • Date/Time: Dec. 16, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
    • Location: Michigan state Capitol lawn, Lansing
    • Agenda/Subject: Public rally to urge lawmakers to halt approvals, oppose secret deals, and request land and water protections for rural communities.

  • Background and additional details: Organizers demand no secret deals between utilities, developers, AI companies and governments (no NDAs or redacted planning documents), request slowed approval processes, and call for land and water protections and support for rural residents; invites indicate speakers from both political parties and community leaders. Contact for the article: Editor Jon King at info@michiganadvance.com.

• Dec 13, 2025

  EPA webpage maps out path for data-center developers around air rules

  The Environmental Protection Agency has launched a Clean Air Act Resource for Data Centers webpage to guide permitting, modeling, and regulatory interpretation so data centers and AI facilities can be built more quickly.

  • Main announcement: The EPA published a dedicated webpage (“Clean Air Act Resource for Data Centers”) providing regulatory information, guidance, and technical tools for modeling, air quality permitting, and regulatory interpretations relevant to data centers and AI facilities; the page also explains how developers may “legally avoid requirements” under the Clean Air Act provision Limiting the Potential to Emit. The launch is framed under Administrator Lee Zeldin‘s AI agenda and references the President’s AI Action Plan and January AI executive order.
  • Background and details: The move is part of a broader Trump administration push to streamline permitting; EPA Assistant Administrator Aaron Szabo and the agency press office issued statements accompanying the release. The article references public pushback (including a cited $7 billion planned Michigan data center in a photo caption) and congressional activity such as bills on liquid cooling technologies and studies of data centers’ impacts on rural America.
• Dec 12, 2025

  ‘Project Cannoli’: Developer pitches 1-gigawatt data center for Van Buren Township

  Panattoni Development Co. has proposed a roughly 1 gigawatt data center in Van Buren Township (referred to as “Project Cannoli”) and held a public open house; a zoning request could go before the Van Buren Township Planning Commission on Jan. 14.

  • Project details and developer actions: The proposal describes ~1 gigawatt of load across three data center buildings and a 30,000-square-foot office, totaling about 800,000 square feet; one building is reported as water-cooled (potentially ~750,000 gallons per day) and the developer indicated possible use of diesel backup generators. The developer (Panattoni) says the unnamed client is a Fortune 50 company, many township officials signed nondisclosure agreements, and the developer expects to request an additional 50% tax break under Public Act 198.
  • Background, concerns, and next steps: Local residents and officials raised ratepayer, water pollution, and environmental justice concerns (MiEJScreen percentiles in adjacent areas cited as 84th and 82nd). State Rep. Reggie Miller criticized NDAs and lack of regulation; DTE stated that Michigan law prohibits utility customers from subsidizing data centers. Planning Commission meeting details:
    • Date/time: Jan. 14, 5:30 p.m.
    • Location: Board of Trustees Room, Township Hall, 46425 Tyler Road, Van Buren Township, MI 48111 (attendance via Zoom available per township link).
• Dec 12, 2025

  Washington Township data center proposal receives 170-plus comments ahead of hearing

  Washington Township planning officials postponed a rezoning decision for a Prologis data center application.

  • Postponement and public comment: After a three-hour public hearing, the planning commission postponed the rezoning decision for one month citing overwhelming public input (over 170 emailed responses, majority opposed). The proposed site is 312 acres on the south side of 32 Mile Road (between M-53 and Powell Road); Prologis was told it must convert a conditional rezoning application to a traditional rezoning application. Residents raised concerns about high energy and water demand, noise and light pollution, and groundwater protection. Prologis stated it is “still early in evaluating what could work best on the site, including a possible technical or data-center use” and could not provide energy/water capacity figures at this stage.
  • Background and project details: The site is serviced by municipal water and would not need to draw on groundwater if the developer uses closed-loop / dry air cooling; township documents say water/sewage capacity would remain sufficient under those systems. The land parcels are part of the township’s industrial vacant land (28–32 Mile along M-53); in 2024 Prologis proposed 230 acres for a Stellantis parts distribution site that was declined. The planning commission may make a recommendation to the Washington Township Board of Trustees, and any land use approval would require an additional public hearing.
• Dec 11, 2025

  Lawmakers introduce bill to cancel $100 million University of Michigan data center grant

  Michigan State Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. introduced legislation to rescind a $100 million state grant awarded for the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory’s planned data center in Ypsilanti Township.

  • Main action: Legislation introduced by Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. seeks to rescind a $100 million state grant (awarded by the Michigan Strategic Fund / Michigan Economic Development Corp.) for the U‑M / Los Alamos data center project; the Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees passed a Dec. 2 resolution calling the grant application a “bait and switch” and urging cancellation.
  • Background and details: The overall project is described as a $1.2 billion initiative with U‑M financing $850 million, initially proposed for a 20‑acre site (grant application) while the university later acquired 124.68 acres on Textile Road; construction is scheduled to begin in 2028 and complete by 2031, the project would include two computing centers and the university says it will support research in medicine, climate science, energy, and national security; a petition signed by over 700 U‑M employees, faculty, and students calls to cancel the project and end the Los Alamos partnership.