Consumers Gets Caught Plotting Massive Power Plant

Concerned Lima Township residents gathered last week for a special meeting in regard to Consumers Energy’s recent “options” filing of a 120-acre property south of Jackson Road in rural Washtenaw County.

Ironically, the Lima Township meeting was held just hours after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and leadership from Oracle, OpenAI, and Related Digital broke ground for the Saline data center (The Barn).

During more than an hour of questions, tension, and pushback, township residents were mostly left in the dark, but it became clear that the plant could be built in response to the controversial data center project just 19 miles south.

Erin Busby, a project manager from Consumer’s Energy, said, “We are looking at a location here in town as an option for a project and that’s really what it is—it’s an option for us.”

The word “option” was used over 40 times throughout the meeting as residents shared their frustrations and concerns and were left with a promise that the community would be engaged throughout the process.

Busby explained that Consumers Energy has exclusive rights to the property and it’s not an option for anyone else to buy the property in the event it is sold. She emphasized it’s a very long process and promised to engage the community.

“If this were to become a project, I can tell you this is not something that’s gonna sneak up on anybody here,” she said.

A resident in attendance, citing 35 years working for a power company, asked the Consumers representative why Consumers is purchasing an option outside its service territory, linking it to the Saline Data Center.

The resident stated the new power plant would be the second largest power plant in the state, producing 1,400 megawatts, nearly covering the Saline data center’s required 1,500 megawatts.

He explained the only reason for Consumers’ purchase would be to get closer to “DTE’s Load Site” and mentioned that soil testing has already been done on the Lima Township property, suggesting the project is farther along than indicated.

Representatives from the company can be heard saying they had to “do due diligence.”

Days after the contentious meeting, Consumers Energy requested another $453 million rate hike, citing a goal of “fewer and fewer power outages for its customers.” How does installing energy-draining data centers all over the state achieve their goal?

Perhaps a better approach would be prioritizing Michiganders’ energy needs before putting more power plants in rural communities that are opposed to data centers in their backyards.

Residents across the state have expressed their concerns with large energy projects, economic development investments, and megasites, as local control has been eroded in the name of Whitmer’s brand of “economic development.”

In the case of the Saline Data Center, Related Digital sued Saline Township’s decision to deny their zoning request. The township ultimately settled, allowing the project to proceed.

One Lima Township resident summed it up perfectly: “It’s like David and Goliath—how can we defend ourselves against Consumers Power? We cannot. This whole thing is a charade. You guys are going to be able to do whatever you want.”

In a leaked audio clip from The Barn’s groundbreaking, Whitmer seems to tell Oracle CEO Clay Magouryk: “We’re used to people saying, ‘Hell no,’ but we do it anyway.”

Even if that wasn’t exactly what she said, actions speak louder than words.