We Energies expects to spend about $335 million to build electric distribution infrastructure to serve Microsoft's data center development in Mount Pleasant. A recent filing with the state Public Service Commission seeks to defer accounting for the costs until the project is complete. We Energies in the application said it needs to begin construction by June to meet Microsoft's needs.

Data centers are massive users of electricity that run around the clock to support cloud computing and other data-intensive applications. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers consume up to fifty times the energy of a similarly sized-office space and account for about two percent of all electricity use in the U.S.

The PSC application identifies three work areas with the most immediate spending, about $50 million, focused on the area where Microsoft's $1 billion first phase of construction is already underway. Microsoft bought that 315-acre property in May, 2023, and began site work on the first of two buildings in July. A February 27th construction update states foundation work is nearly complete and said work has begun on the building's steel structure. We Energies will soon begin work on a distribution substation on the western part of the parcel.