PORT WASHINGTON — The question is being raised as Illinois just released a state report that projects residents in Illinois could see a significant spike in monthly energy bills due to a data center boom that’s draining its power grid in the Chicago area.
For Samantha Martin of Port Washington, the cost of living is already a concern.
"With groceries and gas, just those simple costs of living being so high right now, the worries for cost of living, they shoot up," Martin said.
The last thing she wants to see is another spike in her family's energy bill.
"My parents are specifically really worried about it, being from this town and still living here and having that data center integrated into our hometown, I know there's a pretty big worry for those price increases," Martin said.
Watch: Could We Energies customers see rate increases due to data centers in Southeastern Wisconsin
Those concerns are amplified as a new report from the state of Illinois warns energy customers in the Chicago area that their utility bills could go up by $70 a month in the next few years.
"Well, that report is showing that the concerns are real," said Tom Content, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board.
Content leads a Wisconsin non-profit that advocates for residential and small business utility customers. He said rate hikes due to AI aren't just happening in Illinois.
"This actually played out in the elections in New Jersey and Virginia earlier last month, where energy prices are already spiking out there because of data centers," Content said.
The 1.1 million We Energies customers across Wisconsin use about 5.3 gigawatts of power each year. The two data centers in Mount Pleasant and Port Washington alone are expected to add 3.3 gigawatts to that figure — a 64% increase.
Content worries who could be on the hook if a data center project doesn't pan out.
"Customers are already paying $1 billion for power plants that have been shut down in the past and so what our concern is if WE Energies is proposing $6 billion more of power plants that are needed just for the data centers and if the AI bubble bursts or for some other reason AI business plans, tech company business plans change, power plants are built for a long time," Content said.
We Energies spokesperson Brendan Conway said the company is not at risk of that type of situation — and that its customers won’t have to pay a dime more in monthly bills due to data centers.
Conway said We Energies has guarantees from the two data center companies — Microsoft and Vantage — that they will cover all of their energy costs, including infrastructure, transmission fees, and staff.
"We have contracts to make sure that if someone were to leave, they're either going to pay for the remainder of that plant that we built for them or we would find somebody else," Conway said.
For Martin, the guarantees provide some reassurance.
"I think if they stick to their word, I think it does provide a little bit of peace of mind, I think if they were able to provide the community with some comfort with that, I think it could," Martin said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist 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.
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