"Actively working" with utility We Energies
Vantage Data Centers is seeking to obtain a 1.3GW grid connection for its planned data center campus in Port Washington, Wisconsin.
First reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, the developer is “actively working” closely with utility We Energies to facilitate the connection by the end of 2027.
Scott Lauber, president and CEO of We Energies, said that the utility is seeking to connect the data center with power along Interstate 43, on a plot that could span up to 1,900 acres. Lauber went on to say that the project could require up to 3.5GW if and when the campus achieves full buildout.
If it reached full capacity, that would represent 43 percent of We Energies' existing power generation capacity. In order to shore up the power supply, the utility is currently expanding its generation profile and has assured that it will have the capacity to deliver the power if required.
The utility, which provides electricity and natural gas to more than 2.3 million customers across Wisconsin, is currently advancing its capital plan, which calls for the construction of 4.3GW of renewable power and 2GW of natural gas generation capacity. An update to the plan is expected this fall, with executives claiming it will include additional capacity to meet power demand from the data center sector.
To alleviate concerns over the impact such a gargantuan data center could have upon the bills of regular rate payers, the utility cited the new electrical rate that it proposed back in April. The special rate aims to shield other ratepayers from the costs associated with the construction of power generation and electric infrastructure needed to support data centers.
News on the data center first arose back in January, when powered land provider Cloverleaf Infrastructure was named as the company seeking to develop on the plot north of the Ozaukee County town, west of I-43, and east of the Ozaukee Interurban Trail between Lake Drive and Dixie Road.
Following this, in June, reports surfaced that Vantage was the company seeking to develop a data center facility on the site. At the time, Mark Freeman, Vantage's VP of global marketing, said that the company was “in the early stages of planning a data center campus in Port Washington,” and declined to provide any additional information on the campus.
Port Washington is located north of Milwaukee in eastern Wisconsin, on the shore of Lake Michigan. At present, the state's data center sector isn't particularly developed; however, over recent years, several major developers have announced plans, including Microsoft and Meta.
Microsoft is currently developing a $3.3 billion data center campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, on a 1,000-acre plot of land. However, back in January, construction on some parts of the data center was paused due to “changes in technology.”
Vantage Data Centers runs 35 campuses across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In the United States, its facilities are located in states such as Arizona, California, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington.
Additional sites are currently being developed in Indiana, Ohio, and Nevada.
