Michigan AG Nessel appeals approval of DTE's Saline data center contracts

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed an appeal against the Michigan Public Service Commission's (MPSC) December 2025 approval of two DTE contracts intended to service a 1.4 gigawatt AI data center in Saline. Nessel is requesting a pullback on the approval to allow for a contested case hearing. Such a hearing would enable her office and environmental organizations to review the contracts, verify that DTE would not increase electric rates for existing customers, and establish ratepayer protections against collateral and exit fees if the data center fails to meet its projected electricity consumption, leaves the state, or declares bankruptcy. Attorney General Nessel stated that she had sought a contested case review since the contracts were first filed in October, but her requests were ignored by the Commission, leading to this legal challenge. The MPSC, in response, issued a statement defending its conditional approval, claiming it included "some of the strongest consumer protections in the country" and was consistent with decades of precedent, projecting $300 million in affordability benefits for customers. The approved contracts stipulate that DTE would be responsible for development and operation costs and would prioritize residents and businesses over the data center in emergency service interruptions. The data center's substantial electricity demand would be covered by a minimum 19-year contract, significantly longer than the standard five-year agreement for large industrial customers.