LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — DTE Energy Co. insists turning Michigan farmland into a tech empire will ease the strain on family power bills. Regulators want proof before they call it a bargain.

DTE asked state regulators on November 3 to accelerate approval for a massive data-center project in Saline Township backed by billionaire Stephen Ross’s Related Companies, Oracle, and OpenAI. And in a notable twist, the utility wants the green light without holding public hearings, arguing the project will ultimately lower electricity costs for Michigan households.

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The utility says the hyperscale campus, powered with as much electricity as more than a million American homes, will bring bills down by spreading grid costs across a larger customer base and speeding investment in new renewable power.

That savings remains theoretical for now—utility rates can only change through the Michigan Public Service Commission—but even still, regulators aren’t ready to rubber-stamp anything.

“Our focus is really ensuring that existing customers aren’t ultimately left paying for or subsidizing this customer,” MPSC Chair Dan Scripps said. He added that the commission “has a fair amount of work ahead of us” to verify the company’s modeling and assumptions.

Environmental groups say that’s exactly why public input matters, warning the giant battery build-out could simply bank fossil-fuel power and calling for a full contested review.

“It’s one thing if they’re charged by the Monroe Coal Plant, and another if they’re charged by solar,” Daniel Abrams of the Environmental Law and Policy Center told The Detroit News. Sierra Club organizer Bryan Smigielski put it bluntly: “Anything that could have a big impact on our energy system should be a contested case.”

DTE says the plan helps Michigan hit its 2040 clean-energy mandate and expands grid capacity. “Bringing on new data center load of this magnitude actually creates affordability,” spokesperson Jill Wilmot said.

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The township originally resisted the project, but reversed course to avoid a lawsuit. Now, the timing rests with state regulators. The developers want approval by December 5, though commissioners say they will not rush a vote.

In short: Big Tech wants Michigan dirt, DTE wants speed, and regulators want proof ordinary customers won’t get stuck holding the bill.