Overview
A ~$16 billion AI data center campus under construction in Saline Township (Washtenaw County, outside Ann Arbor), built by Related Digital and Blackstone for Oracle as part of the OpenAI/Oracle Stargate program, nicknamed “The Barn.” It draws more than 1 GW — about 25% of DTE Energy’s current peak — making it the single load reshaping DTE’s Michigan rate base. It is the concrete data center behind the flagship’s corrected claim that the cost of the AI boom reaches a billing address rather than a location.
Key Facts
- $16B investment; >1 GW draw (~25% of DTE’s current peak; ~1,383 MW at full buildout per related coverage vs. DTE’s ~10.7 GW projected 2026 peak). Saline Township Data Center Construction Underway — Michigan Public - 2026-04-25
- Developers: Related Digital + Blackstone; tenant: Oracle; power: DTE Energy.
- Location: Saline Township, Washtenaw County — ~3 counties and 90+ miles from St. Clair County, on the opposite (SW) end of DTE’s territory.
- Construction underway (began Q1 2026; targeting completion Q4 2027). Stated benefits: 2,500 union construction jobs, 450 on-site jobs, 1,500 county-wide, $14M community benefits, 750 acres preserved.
- AG Dana Nessel has appealed the Michigan Public Service Commission’s conditional approval of DTE’s power-supply contracts for the campus, citing redactions and insufficient transparency.
Newsletter Relevance
The counter-case to the wiki’s Stargate “announced ≠ built” thesis: Saline is financed and under construction. But the fight simply moved downstream — from “will it get built” to “who pays for the grid it needs,” now litigated through the Dana Nessel appeal and DTE’s rate case. It is the proof object for AI Cost Incidence localized to Michigan, and the real-world referent that made the flagship’s “two counties over” line false (it’s three counties and on the far side of the state).
Connections
- Oracle — tenant; Stargate — the program it belongs to.
- DTE Energy — power supplier; rate-case beneficiary of its revenue.
- Dana Nessel — appealing its power-contract approval.
- Michigan Public Service Commission — granted the conditional approval under appeal.
Source Appearances
- Saline Township Data Center Construction Underway — Michigan Public - 2026-04-25 — developers, tenant, scale, Nessel appeal.
- DTE Ties Future Rate Freeze to Data Centers — Planet Detroit - 2026-04-24 — its revenue underwrites DTE’s rate-freeze promise.
- DTE Data Center Customer Rate Protection Claims — DTE Energy - 2026 — DTE’s ~$300M/yr grid-investment figure for this site.
Open Questions
- Does the MPSC’s conditional approval survive the Nessel appeal, and do the unredacted contracts show ratepayer exposure?
- Is the Google data center DTE also cites a second distinct site, or conflated in coverage with Saline/Oracle?