Port Washington data center meeting addresses water, energy concerns

Meeting addresses water, energy concerns

People packed a Port Washington Common Council meeting, raising concerns about the data center project as public officials looked to provide reassurance.

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. - People packed a Port Washington Common Council meeting on Tuesday night, raising concerns about the data center project as public officials looked to provide reassurance.

The backstory:

The Vantage data center will need an estimated 3.5 gigawatts of power for four buildings built across 670 acres of land in Port Washington.

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Environmental concerns

What they're saying:

Water is one of Wisconsin's most precious resources, and many worry new technology is compromising it.

Amy Barrilleaux with Clean Wisconsin shared analysis at Tuesday's meeting that the data center could use an estimated 54 million gallons of water a day if it's being powered by non-renewable energy facilities.

Rendering of data center in Port Washington

"What this analysis is trying to show is that water use from power plants is a real issue," she said. "We have these projects happening all over Wisconsin and very little transparency."

We Energies weighs in

The other side:

It's something both Vantage and We Energies said is simply not true. We Energies representatives talked about energy and power usage for the $15 billion project, saying "we’ve been very transparent of what we’re trying to achieve."

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We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said customers should not worry about rising costs or the project's environmental impact.

"As we’re building these solar, wind, battery storage facilities, they use zero water to produce electricity. That is a fact," he said. "Costs will not be shifted to other customers."

We Energies also said the natural gas facilities being built to help power the data center will only be used when needed, at times on the coldest and hottest days of the year. They estimate it will use less water than a golf course.