The $8 billion project is a first for Vantage Data Centers in Wisconsin. Company President Dana Adams says the project is good for their needs.
READ ALSO | TMJ4 talks with Company president behind data center project in Ozaukee County
"We look for a number of different factors, and Wisconsin brought a lot of those factors to the table," Adams said. "First and foremost, there's a great workforce here. There are a lot of people in the state who are very excited about this project."
However, the project faced significant pushback from county residents concerned about freshwater usage, energy needs, and the potential for dramatic changes to the landscape.
TMJ4's Charles Benson brought some of those worries to Adams.
Watch: Company president asked about jobs, pushback over data center project in Ozaukee Co.
Kris Ekman, a concerned citizen, emphasized the importance of water conservation.
"Fresh water is one of the rarest resources on this planet. It makes up 3% of all water, and the Great Lakes are a huge part of that, as you know, we're on the Great Lakes," Ekman said. "We need better transparency and more concrete numbers."
Adams addressed water usage concerns directly, stating that the facility will use an average of 22,000 gallons of water daily — equivalent to 65 homes.
"We are not using millions of gallons of water a day," Adams said. "We are not drawing water directly from the lake. We are getting our water from existing Port Washington infrastructure services."
READ ALSO | Ozaukee Co. residents clash over massive AI data center project
When pressed about the water source, Adams acknowledged the municipal supply does come from Lake Michigan but emphasized their usage would be relatively small.
Tim Klein, another concerned citizen, expressed frustration about landscape destruction.
"The destruction of the land of the north, the complete change of the landscape, I mean, change is inevitable, right? It's going to happen, but not in this capacity," Klein said.
Adams says she hears what residents are saying, but also sees the project — and the need for data centers around the country as necessary for national progress.
"I understand that concern and those feelings that people have, and the reality is our world is changing, right? We are part of this 4th industrial revolution," Adams said.
"Infrastructure in our country has to improve to keep pace with where technology is going and where we are going as a country. It's a matter of national security. It's a matter of US leadership in technology, in education, and healthcare, and all of these things."
When Benson asked how residents can trust that Vantage will be a good neighbor, Adams pointed to the company's track record.
"We operate to a very high standard. We hire good people, and we're active members of the community," Adams said. "So in every market that we're in, here in Wisconsin, we make investments in particular in workforce development."
The project promises significant job creation — 4,000 construction jobs, 5,600 indirect jobs from vendors and suppliers, and more than 330 permanent positions to operate the data centers.
When asked about hiring Wisconsin workers, Adams committed to prioritizing local employment.
"As many as possible, as many as possible. So that's our top priority. We are union first," Adams said.
Microsoft and other companies have already established data centers in Wisconsin, though Microsoft recently dropped plans for another facility in Caledonia following community opposition.
Adams maintains that the demand for data centers will continue to grow.
"As more of our world becomes digitized, we're going to continue to see this growth. And we think we are still in early innings," Adams said.
Vantage plans to deliver the first phase of the data center project to its yet-to-be-announced customer by the spring of 2027
"We have a customer for this site. The customer is fully committed. They're very excited to be here in the state of Wisconsin, said Adams. We can't share their name at this point, but we do look forward to introducing them to the community at the right time."
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
