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No Discounts for Data Centers
- Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action
- Feb 2
- 2 min read
Make Sure Data Centers Pay Their Own Way in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission (PSC) is currently considering two cases that would decide who pays the bill for data centers in Wisconsin. It's time to make sure that hardworking Wisconsinites don’t end up paying higher energy bills to give discounts to some of the richest companies on the planet. Utilities and tech companies are looking to profit from the AI boom by taking advantage of hyperscale data centers.
These cases will set the precedent for who pays for the electricity, fuel, and energy infrastructure for hyperscale data centers. Make sure your concerns and your community are heard. Submit a written comment or speak at the public hearing in these cases:
We Energies/WPS/WEPCO Rate for Data Centers | Alliant Energy Contract for the META Data Center in Beaver Dam |
The docket is open for public comment through Tuesday, February 17. Attend the public hearing on February 10th at 1 PM and 6 PM via Zoom (virtual option only). RSVP for 1 PM >> RSVP for 6 PM >> | The docket is open for public comment through Tuesday, March 3. Attend the public hearing on February 24th at 1 PM and 6 PM via Zoom (virtual option only). RSVP for 1 PM >> RSVP for 6 PM >> |
What's happening?
While the PSC’s mission is to “ensure safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible utility services,” it is considering a proposal by We Energies’ and big tech corporations to have customers subsidize the fossil fuel infrastructure necessary to power new data center proposals, like Vantage (Port Washington) and Microsoft (Mount Pleasant and Kenosha).
Even though We Energies’ promised that customers will take on “no cost”, that is not what is actually outlined in their application. The proposal only requires ‘Very Large Customers’, like Microsoft and Vantage, to cover 75% of their costs, leaving the rest of us to subsidize 25% of the infrastructure costs for billion-dollar corporations. And 100% of fuel costs used by a “capacity resource” like a gas plant would have to be covered by everyday customers.
At the same time, Alliant Energy submitted a special rate contract for Meta’s hyperscale data center in Beaver Dam. On October 1, lawyers from the Midwest Environmental Advocates requested unredacted versions of the electrical load information in the case. The PSC denied the request for the Beaver Dam record, citing that it contained trade secrets. That means that even environmental experts and consumer protection nonprofits are in the dark on what is happening. Our communities deserve transparency on how this agreement will impact them.
You don’t have to live or work in these utility service territories to submit a comment or speak at the hearing. We all must stand together to support Wisconsin residents across the state who face unjust costs, especially since these proposals will set the tone for how other data center projects are handled in our state.
Your voice and your story are powerful! Please weigh in TODAY!
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