WE ENERGIES PLANS $100M PROJECT TO SUPPORT NEW MICROSOFT DATA CENTER

We Energies plans to spend $100 million on a distribution project to serve Microsoft’s proposed data center on land initially meant for Foxconn in the village of Mount Pleasant.

But, the project may not need approval by state regulators, due to exemptions created for Foxconn’s failed plans to create 13,000 jobs and produce large flat-screens in southeast Wisconsin. Now, critics are calling on state lawmakers to close those loopholes.  

Earlier this month, We Energies sent a notice of exemption to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin that said it will be installing electric distribution facilities including transformers, breakers, relays and other power related equipment at the site initially meant for Foxconn.

Typically, installation of each part of the project would require approval from regulators, but this one may qualify for an exemption — thanks to a law passed in 2017 to support Foxconn’s Mount Pleasant project, the letter to the PSC says.

The law that established an Electronics and Information Technology Manufacturing, or EITM, Zone for Foxconn included a provision that makes utilities exempt from obtaining PSC approval for construction projects that primarily serve new customers within the zone.

"Projects that meet the requirements of this statute would qualify for an exemption," PSC spokesperson Meghan Sovey said in a statement. "The PSC is currently reviewing this request and will follow up with We Energies if more information is needed to make this determination."

We Energies plans to start construction on the project by June 2024 "to meet the customer’s electric service needs," the utility’s letter to regulators said. 

In a statement, utility spokesperson Brendan Conway said the distribution project will support Microsoft’s planned $1 billion data center "in the immediate term," and also support continued growth throughout the Interstate-94 corridor.