DTE Energy is pressing Michigan regulators to fast track approval of the Stargate data center in Saline Township before year’s end, warning that any delay could jeopardize the project’s planned construction start in early 2026.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the finalization of plans for the state’s first large data center in Saline Township last week, renewing concerns about climate impacts from the facilities’ energy demands. The Saline Township project is being developed by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Oracle, and Related Digital.
The data center moved forward after Related Digital sued Saline Township over rezoning for the facility, and the township reached a settlement with the company Oct. 15. Municipal attorney Fred Lucas described the settlement as “the lesser of two evils” in comments to Planet Detroit…