‘Critical’ power line comment period opens

Public comments on the proposed routes for high-power electrical lines that will serve Vantage Data Centers’ Lighthouse Campus in Port Washington are being taken by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission through Feb. 6.

American Transmission Co. has submitted an application recommending that the lines be routed through either the Town of Fredonia or Town of Saukville — options that area communities and organizations are fighting because, they say, these routes would significantly impact the environment and residents.

They are hoping to convince the PSC, which will determine the route, that the lines should run primarily along existing routes, minimizing the impact.

“This (public comment period) is one of the most important windows in the entire process,” Patti Plough of the Responsible Energy Alliance, a coalition of Saukville, Trenton, Fredonia and Farmington residents, said in a letter to members.

“This is a critical stage in the process because this is when the public helps determine what environmental, community and property impacts the state must study before any decision is made.”

In addition to written comments, the PSC will host informal, open-house meetings about the power lines at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21, at the Holiday Inn Express in Port Washington.

ATC’s application for the power lines was submitted on Nov. 14 and deemed complete by the Public Service Commission on Dec. 15, a move that ATC spokesman Scott Reigstad said starts the 180-day review period.

ATC has recommended two routes for the lines — the so-called preferred route, which would traverse the Town of Saukville, and the preferred alternative route, which would go through the Town of Fredonia.

It doesn’t recommend the so-called alternate route, which would primarily follow existing power lines.

The estimated cost of the power line project is between $1.4 billion and $1.6 billion, depending on the route selected.

Already 14 people and organizations have filed for intervenor status in the matter, allowing them to give testimony before the PSC.

Among those is Vantage Data Centers. Judith Judson, Vantage’s senior vice president of energy, said the company is supporting the alternate route, which follows existing lines, after talking to residents in the affected area.

“What we’ve heard clearly is they support the alternate route,” Judson said Tuesday. “We do need wires. But we do think we need to do that in the least impactful way. We will voice that to the PSC. We want to make sure the community we are now part of will be heard.”

Vantage will pay for the transmission lines and the 1.3 gigawatts of power needed to run its data center campus, Judson said, as well as 600 megawatts of power available to the public.

Others supporting the alternative route include the Port Washington Common Council, Port Mayor Ted Neitzke, the Town of Saukville, Restoring Lands (formerly the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust) and the Ozaukee County Board, which last week approved a resolution saying just that.

“This approach minimizes impacts to farmland, environmentally sensitive areas, rural landscapes and local landowners, and aligns with the county’s comprehensive plan and farmland preservation plan,” according to a memo from County Administrator Jason Dzwinel.

That resolution was recommended by the county’s Executive Committee, although some supervisors questioned a paragraph that stated the county “recognizes the Port Washington data center as a significant economic development opportunity that supports job creation, capital investment, technological advancement, and the long-term economic competitiveness of the region and the State of Wisconsin.” 

Dzwinel said the resolution used the same language local municipalities used to support the alternative route.