Data center firm not finished buying Port land

Vantage Data Centers is increasing its footprint in Port Washington with the recent purchase of the 2.55-acre Pitbull Towing property on Highway LL for $6 million.

Vantage bought the Town of Port Washington property at 4145 Hwy. LL owned by Randy and Amanda Simmons on Sept. 25, according to Wisconsin Department of Revenue.

Mark Freeman, Vantage’s vice president for global marketing, said the company purchased the property “because we believe it provides strategic value to our long-term operations in the area.

“At this time, we do not have any specific plans to announce regarding the property’s use.”

The purchase is of interest not only because of the price Vantage paid but because the land is east of I-43 and not contiguous to the roughly 1,900 acres of mostly farmland west of the freeway the company previously bought. That land, which was in the town, has been annexed into the city.

Vantage is using the southern 672 acres of that land for its $15 billion Lighthouse Campus. The hyperscale data center campus will be used by Oracle and OpenAI when it is completed in 2028.

At this time, Freeman said, Vantage does not plan to ask the city to annex the former Pitbull property, but added the land “offers flexibility to support future operational and infrastructure needs.”

At this time, Vantage does not plan to have this property annexed into the city, he added.

Freeman would not commend on whether Vantage may purchase additional land in Port.

Randy and Amanda Simmons could not be reached for comment.

In a Facebook post, they said they will be moving their business to a new location in Ozaukee County, where a grand opening is planned in spring.

“In the meantime, we’ll remain open here and continue servicing all of your needs as usual,” the post reads. “This chapter may be coming to an end, but the next one is going to be a big one. We have a lot coming and we can’t wait to share more when the time is right.”

The Town of Fredonia Plan Commission on Wednesday was expected to discuss a request by Simmons for a conditional use permit that would allow him to operate an automotive sales and recycling service business with outdoor storage at N7277 Hwy. 57.

In other data center-related news, Oracle announced last week that it intends to subscribe to buy a portion of the power generated by the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant near Two Rivers.

The company says the move will save more than one million Wisconsin utility customers about $300 million in fuel costs while supporting reliable, carbon-free power.

That agreement requires approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

In addition, Oracle will fully fund the data center’s energy costs, the company said in a release.

Citizens Utility Board Executive Director Tom Content, who noted that the Point Beach plant is “extremely expensive” called Oracle’s announcement “a step forward.”

He noted that the Point Beach power plant is the most expensive in We Energies’ fleet, with prices increasing by 7% annually.

“It alone is responsible for 20% of the We Energies rate hike pending at the PSC,” he said in a statement.

“The announcement by Oracle is certainly a step forward as we have been seeking relief on this for years. Whether that is a baby step or a leap forward for affordability remains to be seen. We look forward to reviewing more details when they are made available.”

How the power will get to the data center campus is another question. American Transmission Co. petitioned the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build a transmission system that will bring power to the Lighthouse Campus.

The route to be taken has proven controversial, with local groups working to try and keep the power lines off so-called greenfield sites and route them along existing corridors.