Grant County Explores Billion Dollar Data Center in Cassville

As I drive through Grant County, I see beautiful sections of the Driftless Region, countless farms, and small communities. Unfortunately, a power-hungry neighbor might be moving in to the tune of ONE BILLION DOLLARS. By the way, that cost is just the beginning, because what could be coming to the Tri-State area will also jack up your local energy costs.

Read More: AI Data Centers Are Quietly Driving Up Your Midwest Electric Bills

In a report from Wisconsin Watch, local leaders say an unnamed company is scouting land in the Town of Cassville for a possible $1 billion data center. They’re looking at 400 to 500 acres. That would leave a huge footprint near town. Officials say nothing is final yet. They expect a decision by spring on whether Grant County stays in the running for the project.

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Economic development leaders have been upfront so far. They have not signed secrecy deals, and they’ve shared what little information exists at open meetings. That’s different from several other Wisconsin communities, where officials kept data center talks under wraps for months with nondisclosure agreements set in place.

Did you know this would be the eighth major data center proposal in Wisconsin? Other data center projects include Beaver Dam, Mount Pleasant, Kenosha, Janesville, and Menomonie. In DeForest, the city recently scrapped a controversial $12 billion data center proposal. These facilities run 24/7 to power cloud computing and artificial intelligence systems. They require massive amounts of electricity, which means power companies have to invest in bigger substations, higher-capacity transmission lines, and new means of power generation in some areas (wind/solar). Additionally, data centers use excess amounts of water for cooling in large systems, using 200,000 to 5 million gallons every day.

Unfortunately for the local residents, all that infrastructure costs money and lots of it; not only to build it, but to keep it operational. Electricity providers like We Energies plan to spend billions to meet rising demand, much of it tied to the implementation of data centers. Regulators at the Public Service Commission are deciding whether those costs will be covered entirely by the companies or if some could be passed on to local ratepayers. This is when ordinary households could see their monthly bills rise because of "necessary infrastructure updates," all to keep a single facility running in rural Cassville.

Supporters say the project will bring in construction jobs, long-term investment, and a larger tax base. However, critics worry about the strain on local systems and point to nearly $1 billion in debt from outdated power plants. In all honesty, our grid is just not made to handle the power loads these places generate, yet. Will we get there? Maybe, but it's not a fast or cheap process.

For Grant County residents, the questions are practical: How much electricity will this place use? How will it affect our bills? Who pays if a "worst-case scenario" occurs? If you want to have your say, local residents can leave any comments here. A billion-dollar investment sounds big. I mean, it is big. But in the Tri-States, folks want to know what that number really means for everyday life; should the city say, yes.