Michigan Data Center Intel

Recent Michigan data center news

• 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.
• Mar 19, 2026

  Nuclear Sprint: DOE and Industry Race to Meet Trump’s Target

  The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources convened March 19 to examine DOE implementation of President Trump’s May 2025 nuclear energy executive orders.

  • Main announcement/action: The hearing presented DOE and witnesses’ roadmap to expand U.S. nuclear capacity from ~100 GW today to 400 GW by 2050, with an executive-order milestone of three reactors achieving criticality by July 4, 2026; near-term measures include a $1 billion loan for the Crane Restart (expected 835 MW by 2028), Palisades restart (~800 MW) this summer, and reactor uprates adding ~2.5 GW by 2027 and ~5 GW by 2029. The DOE announced three $900 million enrichment awards, and Kairos Power is operating under a $303 million milestone-based technology investment agreement and a PPA to deliver up to 50 MW (part of up to 500 MW by 2035 with Google/TVA).

  • Background and other details: Witnesses flagged fuel supply vulnerabilities (Russia supplied ~20–25% of U.S. enriched uranium in 2024; a >3 million SWU gap exists), HALEU production gaps (no commercial-scale HALEU outside Russia/China), lithium-7 shortages for molten-salt reactors, INL facility timelines (e.g., DOME completion by March 31, 2026), participation in the Reactor Pilot Program (10 companies, 11 projects), and statutory/ export measures including the International Nuclear Energy Act of 2025 authorizing $65.5 million for export support and a Poland $47 billion AP1000 selection.

• Mar 19, 2026

  Wixom weighs data center ordinance: ‘We aren’t necessarily prepared’

  Wixom Planning Commission is drafting an ordinance to restrict data center water usage, require cooling and decommissioning plans, mandate noise/vibration studies and buffers from residential areas, and allow financial guarantees or development agreements to fund infrastructure improvements.

  • Main action: The draft ordinance would require estimates of average and peak electrical demand, cooling and water use plans, noise and vibration impact studies (before and after construction), backup power plans (generator number/size/location, fuel storage and containment, fire suppression), decommissioning plans, and allow the planning commission to set maximum daily/annual water usage or require nonpotable/reclaimed water; it also empowers the commission to require development agreements or financial guarantees and for the electric utility to verify available capacity and identify needed upgrades.
  • Context and background: The move follows disputes in other Michigan communities including a settlement over a $7-billion Oracle and OpenAI project in Saline Township (Related Digital lawsuit) and a paused $1-billion Howell Township proposal; Wixom officials note available sites ranging 38–78 acres (vs. the Saline 250-acre site) and an underutilized substation at a former Ford Motor Co. site; the planning commission will hold a hearing on the draft ordinance (hearing date TBD).
• Mar 19, 2026

  Google Signs Deal for Demand Response Capacity for Data Centers

  Google has announced it has integrated 1 GW of demand response capacity into its long-term energy contracts with multiple U.S. utilities.

  • Main announcement: Google integrated 1 GW of demand response capacity into long-term energy contracts with multiple U.S. utilities, explicitly naming Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Entergy Arkansas, Minnesota Power, and DTE Energy.
  • Background and details: Since initial agreements with I&M and TVA last year, Google says the capability lets it limit or shift ML workloads in data centers to support grid balancing; Google is a founding member of EPRI DCFlex and is collaborating with states, regulators, and utility partners to modernize power system planning.
• Mar 19, 2026 · Google

  A new milestone for smart, affordable electricity growth

  Google has announced it integrated 1 GW of demand response capacity into long-term energy contracts with multiple U.S. utilities.

  • Main announcement: Google has integrated a total of 1 gigawatt (GW) of demand response capacity into long-term energy contracts with multiple U.S. utilities (including Indiana Michigan Power (I&M), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Entergy Arkansas, Minnesota Power, and DTE Energy) to allow the company to shift or reduce ML workloads, deploy demand response quickly to bridge short-term load growth, and help new data centers connect more rapidly to local grids.
  • Background and implementation details: These contracts position demand response as a capacity resource alongside solar, geothermal and long-duration energy storage; Google cites collaboration with states, regulators and utility partners, participation in initiatives like EPRI DCFlex, and notes limits to availability by location and that demand response helps cover peak periods while longer-term generation/storage projects are developed.
• Mar 19, 2026

  US Roundup: solar-plus-storage projects advance across the country

  Google and DTE Energy have announced plans to develop a data centre project in Michigan (Project Cannoli) supported by 1,600MW of solar PV and 450MW of energy storage, with Google funding the resources and DTE operating them under a 20-year Clean Capacity Accelerator Agreement (CCAA).

  • Main announcement: Google and DTE will deliver 1,600MW of solar PV paired with 450MW of storage (specified as 400MW/1,600MWh BESS plus 50MW of LDES), under a 20-year CCAA; Google will provide DTE with approximately 300MW of Zonal Resource Credits (ZRCs) at no cost and commit US$10 million to programmes to reduce household energy bills in Michigan.
  • Additional details & background: The filing identifies the site as Project Cannoli (potentially in Van Buren Township); Google recently closed a US$4.75 billion acquisition of TPG Rise Climate’s Intersect Power stake and has announced multi‑billion data centre and AI capital plans (Google cited US$40 billion for three Texas data centres and US$185 billion in AI‑related capex for the year). Related US project announcements in the article include: Sunraycer (620MWdc solar, 477MWh BESS in Texas), Invenergy/SRP SunDog (200MW solar + 200MW/800MWh BESS in Arizona), Idemitsu Azalea (60MW/152MWh operating in California), and Clēnera’s US$304 million financing for the 120MW/400MWh Crimson Orchard project in Idaho.
• Mar 19, 2026

  University of Michigan buys possible data center site on Huron River, informs Ypsilanti Township supervisor via text

  The University of Michigan announced it purchased 124 acres on Textile Road as a possible site for a planned data center tied to Los Alamos National Laboratory.

  • Main action: The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved the purchase of 124 acres (10455 and 10635 Textile Rd.) on June 12, 2025, at $65,000 per developable acre (the purchase could total more than $8 million). U of M officials (Chris Kolb) informed Ypsilanti Township Supervisor Brenda Stumbo by text message, and the university stated the purchase does not represent a final decision on site selection. The university says this is part of an “ongoing process to select a site for a proposed high-performance computational research facility” and provided no timeline for a final site decision.

  • Background and context: The project is tied to Los Alamos National Laboratory and a proposed $1.2-billion data center; state Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. has introduced legislation to rescind a $100-million state grant for the project. Local officials and residents have passed resolutions and filed petitions citing environmental justice concerns, proximity to the West Willow neighborhood and Wayne Disposal landfill, and public-safety concerns tied to Los Alamos’ nuclear weapons research. Projected technical details reported: up to 110 MW maximum use phased over 5–10 years, biofuel backup supplying ~20% during outages, and up to 500,000 gallons/day of water use supplied by Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority.