ATC quickly files new power line application

American Transmission Co. on Monday filed a new application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build a transmission system that will bring power to the Vantage Data Centers Lighthouse Campus in Port Washington.

The action came just four days after the PSC formally approved a written order dismissing a previous application for the distribution system — a system that has galvanized individuals, communities and conservation groups opposed to the proposed route for the high-voltage wires carrying power to the data center campus.

The new application makes some significant changes to the distribution system, eliminating a proposed east-west route through portions of the towns of Trenton and Saukville, for example.

But for most in Ozaukee County the biggest change may be that the new application designates the south-east route for the power lines as preferred and the south-west route an alternate route.

Patti Plough of the Responsible Energy Alliance, a coalition of Saukville, Trenton, Fredonia and Farmington residents fighting to keep the power lines out of their communities, said Tuesday that’s a positive change but not everything the group is seeking.

“We’re making progress,” she said. “We’re happy about Saukville and Trenton. We were hoping they would eliminate all the greenfields (undeveloped lands). They left ours (a route through Fredonia) in play. We’re a little disappointed about that.”

Tom Stolp, executive director of Restoring Lands, which opposed the routing of power lines through conservation lands, said on Tuesday that his organization is “encouraged to see ATC changed its previous preferred route, which would have impacted many sensitive natural areas and lands that our community has entrusted Restoring Lands to preserve permanently.”

Stolp said his organization had anticipated ATC would file a new application for the distribution system quickly, given the need for electricity to power the data center campus in Port Washington when it is completed in 2028.

“ATC’s new application provides an opportunity for a more transparent, comprehensive and evidence-based evaluation of the proposed data center transmission project,” he said.

The hope, he said, is that it “represents a fresh start with a renewed emphasis on ... those lands our community has set aside for permanent preservation.”

He noted that one of the primary issues brought before the PSC in the previous application was the fact that the “geographic location of preserved properties was not fully accounted for. In this new process, we hope there’s better communication of that.”

Both Stolp and Plough said their organizations are in the process of evaluating ATC’s new application.

“We still really want to make a thorough evaluation before we comment on the plan,” Stolp said, adding Restoring Lands expects to present relevant facts to its board as quickly as possible “to create a path forward.”

In its application, ATC estimates the cost of the distribution system at between $2.5 billion and $2.7 billion, depending on the route selected, with all but a small percentage of the cost picked up by Vantage Data Centers, which is building the data center campus that Oracle America Cloud Services will use.

Once ATC’s application is approved, a process officials have said could take a year, construction of the distribution system would begin. That could take about 17 months, according to the application.

ATC had submitted an application for the transmission system last September, and the PSC ruled it to be complete in December. 

The PSC, however, agreed on Aug. 6 to revoke that determination, citing a large number of substantial changes to the application. A written order formalizing that vote was approved by the PSC on Sept. 10.

Vantage Vice President of Global Marketing Mark Freeman said, “Vantage is committed to working with ATC, public officials, utilities and the community to advance the responsible development of transmission infrastructure needed to support our Lighthouse campus, which will be paid for by Vantage and our customers (Oracle and OpenAI).”

The back-up generators at the campus would not be used to power the data centers if the power line project is delayed, he said. 

  “For clarity, the designed emergency back-up diesel generators are not a viable option that would be put in place as an operational solution should there be any potential schedule impacts,” Freeman said.