We Energies has proposed plans to construct two natural gas plants in southeastern Wisconsin, stirring public interest and debate.
A public meeting held by the Public Service Commission in Oak Creek was attended by hundreds eager to voice their opinions on the potential transformation of the Oak Creek coal facility into a natural gas operation.
The meeting was lengthy, lasting more than six hours. One of the key concerns raised during the forum centered on whether the region truly requires the additional energy, especially with the creation of new Microsoft data centers scheduled to come online in Wisconsin.
TMJ4 spoke to Tom Content, executive director of Wisconsin’s Citizen Utility Board, and Dan Krueger, vice president of infrastructure and generation planning at We Energies, to discuss the future of energy demands in the state.
Watch: Does Wisconsin need the energy created by two new natural gas plants? Both sides weigh in
Krueger emphasized the need for reliable energy sources to support the tech sector.
“We’ve got to keep the data centers running, and we’re going to keep the grid as reliable and as clean as possible,” he said.
Content countered that there are valid concerns about overbuilding infrastructure.
"We don’t want to make the same mistake of overbuilding the system the way we did 20 years ago," he said.
Both experts acknowledge that data centers consume significant amounts of energy, with the U.S. Department of Energy reporting that these facilities use 10 to 50 times more energy than a typical office building.
Content expressed his worries about the uncertainty surrounding the actual energy demand that will emerge.
"Microsoft is saying this week that they're pausing construction on some of the phases at this project," he stated. "It’s a real uncertain time to be making decisions on a power plant that’s going to be around for 40 years.”
He said another option would be building a smaller facility at the Oak Creek site and pairing it with additional energy sources, such as battery and renewable energies, citing the unpredictability of future energy demands.
"If the data centers are not built out to full scale, the burden of cost will land on the consumer," he said.
In contrast, Krueger assured that Microsoft would be financially responsible for the infrastructure needed to support its data centers, stating, “All of the infrastructure that we’re building for the sole purpose of serving their facilities, they’re paying their share of that.”
Krueger asserted that the proposed plants are essential for ensuring Wisconsin's continued growth in energy supply.
"These plants are here for reliability," he said.
As discussions around the energy future of southeastern Wisconsin continue, the outcomes of these proposals will play a critical role in shaping the region's energy landscape in the years to come.
The Public Service Commissionhas extended the period for public comments on the proposed natural gas plants, allowing residents to make their voices heard until April 7.
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