We Energies breaks ground on three renewable projects to power Vantage’s Port Washington AI data center campus

Wisconsin utility We Energies has begun construction on three renewable energy and battery storage projects across the state, with roughly half of their combined output designated to serve a major AI data center campus in Port Washington. The move marks a significant step in aligning large-scale clean energy generation with the surging power demands of hyperscale computing infrastructure.

The portfolio includes a 150MW solar array paired with a 50MWh battery storage system in Rock County, a 110MW wind farm spanning Iowa and Grant counties, and a 75MW standalone battery energy storage facility in Walworth County. All three projects are expected to reach commercial operation by the end of 2027. Chicago-based Invenergy will develop the facilities before transferring ownership to Wisconsin utilities, with We Energies retaining the majority stake and Madison Gas & Electric and Wisconsin Public Service sharing the remainder.

Approximately 50 percent of the generation capacity from each project has been allocated to the under-development $15 billion Port Washington campus, being built by Vantage Data Centers in partnership with Oracle and OpenAI. First announced in October, Vantage is developing the 672-acre site for the two companies as part of OpenAI’s Stargate initiative. At full build-out, the campus will deliver 902MW of IT capacity across four buildings, spanning 2.5 million sq ft (232,255 sqm), and is scheduled to go live in 2028 with closed-loop liquid cooling technology.

The construction activity underscores a broader trend of data center developers securing dedicated renewable energy supplies to meet both operational needs and sustainability commitments. We Energies said it currently has more than 3GW of solar and wind capacity and around 600MW of battery storage either in operation, under construction, or awaiting regulatory approval.

The utility recently introduced a large load tariff for hyperscale data center customers, requiring them to fund the dedicated generation and transmission infrastructure built specifically to serve them, rather than shifting those costs to other ratepayers. The tariff was approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission earlier this year, and Vantage has committed to underwrite 100 percent of the power infrastructure investment through a dedicated electricity rate.

The Port Washington project is among the largest AI-focused data center developments in the Midwest, and its renewable power arrangement could serve as a template for other utilities seeking to balance industrial growth with grid reliability and clean energy goals.