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Michigan Regulators Take Public Comment on Fast-Tracked Power Deal for 1.4 GW Saline Data Center

With a Dec. 5 deadline, DTE’s push for ex‑parte approval faces a challenge from the attorney general seeking a contested case.

Overview

  • The Michigan Public Service Commission is holding a two-hour virtual hearing Wednesday evening on DTE’s request to approve special contracts to power a roughly $7–$7.4 billion data center for OpenAI and Oracle in Saline Township.
  • DTE says approval by Dec. 5 is required under its contract with an Oracle subsidiary and warns delay could jeopardize the project or shift it to another state.
  • Attorney General Dana Nessel and consumer and environmental groups are pressing for a contested proceeding, citing extensive redactions and missing calculations in DTE’s public filings.
  • DTE asserts residential customers will not see higher bills, pointing to safeguards such as minimum monthly charges and customer-funded grid batteries, while critics question grid upgrade costs that could reach hundreds of millions.
  • Residents have staged protests in downtown Saline after the township reversed an initial rezoning denial through a lawsuit settlement, and developers report pre‑construction work with full construction targeted for early 2026.