Michigan regulators granted air and wetland permits for Oracle and OpenAI’s $7-billion Saline Township data center in January, allowing for the destruction of around 9 acres of wetlands and the installation of 15 diesel backup generators.
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) issued a permit waiver to data center developer Related Digital Oct. 17, 2025 to begin installation of the generators, roughly three months before the final air quality permit was issued.
The developer applied for the waiver Sept. 24, 2025 to “begin installation of Project Mitten,” referring to the data center, according to the state document…