Data center power line plan filed with PSC

American Transmission Co. on Tuesday filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build the high-voltage power lines needed to get power to the data center campus proposed for Port Washington’s north side.

ATC’s application shows two routes for the power lines in Ozaukee County, with the preferred route going primarily through the Town of Saukville and the alternate route primarily through the Town of Fredonia — communities that have been vocal in their opposition to the project for health, safety, economic and environmental reasons.

The local line extensions are just a portion of an extensive project by ATC to bring power to the data center campus proposed by Vantage Data Centers — a campus that is projected to use 1.3 gigawatts of power and includes a 40-acre substation.

The project requires power lines and substations to be installed in parts of Calumet, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Ozaukee and Washington counties.

  The project is estimated to cost between $1.4 and $1.6 billion, depending on the routes the power lines take, with construction estimated to begin in May 2026 with completion by December 2027, according to the application.

While ATC has proposed two routes for the power lines, it is up to the PSC to determine which route will be used. 

The Protect Fredonia Coalition, a grassroots organization of town residents opposed to the power lines, on Tuesday vowed to continue fighting the project, distributing yard signs, circulating a petition for residents to sign and collecting money to be used in the fight.

The coalition members urged residents to be prepared to launch a letter-writing campaign when the PSC opens its comment period and to attend the Port Washington Common Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 7, to try and derail the data center project. 

“No data center means no new lines,” Andy McComb said. “I think we should all show up and push back against a data center.”

While lamenting the fact that the fight will pit the Town of Saukville against the Town of Fredonia, coalition members said they have to stand up for their community.

“The route that comes through the Town of Fredonia is now the preferred contingent route,” Attorney Joe Gromacki, a town resident, told the crowd of roughly 65 people. “They have two choices. Right now, they’re choosing Saukville.

“We still face a serious threat here.”

He said he has written to a large number of organizations, including Gathering Waters, the Natural Resource Center of Wisconsin, Audubon Society and Forest County Potawatomi, in the hope of enlisting their help in the fight.

It will take the PSC as long as 30 days to determine if the application is complete, he said, after which a public comment period will open. He urged those attending to write to the PSC with their objections during that period.

“Write your letters now so they’re ready to go,” coalition member Patti Plough told the crowd. “They are the ones who are going to pick either our route or Saukville’s. We have to protect our land.”

There are more people in the Town of Saukville who could potentially write letters and influence the decision, she said, so it’s important that Fredonia residents stand up for their community. 

But one man questioned why the fight has to be an us-versus-them issue.

“We need to get Saukville to go in with us against the data center,” he said.

Coalition members said they will ask town officials to take a stand against the power line extension through Fredonia with the PSC.

Both the Saukville and Fredonia town boards have passed resolutions opposing new high-voltage lines running through their communities and sent those to ATC. 

“If we do not succeed with the PSC, it may become a legal matter,” Gromacki said, telling residents they are seeking financial help to potentially hire a consultant to fight the power lines.

“If we all contribute a little, we might have enough money to hire him,” he said.

McComb noted that there are a number of permits that Vantage has to obtain for the project, and this may hold the key for the town.

“There may be a way to stop the project,” McComb said.

Plough added, “I think right now the only option is to fight the data center.”

Town residents who plan to attend next week’s Common Council meeting won’t be the only ones opposing the data center project.

Lucy McCue, who lives in the Town of Belgium across from property owned by Vantage, said she will present aldermen with a petition opposing the data center that’s been circulated on Change.org since April and signed by more than 2,300 people.

“It is pretty much a done deal,” McCue said of the data center complex project. “I just feel it’s important to put this on the record.

“I just feel this was an area where most people would prefer to keep the city and the town the way they were. It feels this isn’t for the benefit of the citizens of Port Washington.”

McCue said she doesn’t know how many of those who signed the petition or offered comments about the data center are from the city or town of Port and how many live elsewhere, noting that the data center will affect people outside of Port as well as those in the community.