Town hall addresses questions regarding data center water, electricity use

CBS 58

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Who gets a payday and who gets a bill? That's what people are wondering as more data center projects come to Wisconsin. 

In an effort to address concerns, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hosted a town hall at Turner Hall Monday night, Feb. 23.

As we've seen in communities with planned data centers or those already under construction, many residents wonder if their utility bills will rise. 

Hosts at Monday's event tell us it can be tricky to nail down answers to these questions. 

"There's not one answer to that question," said James Fitzhenry, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "That each data center is using different technology, some are using a closed-loop system, which are purported to use less water. But it depends on which data center you're talking about."

Fitzhenry says power draw is also a case-by-case basis, but they estimate that between the data center in Port Washington and Microsoft's center in Mount Pleasant, they could use more power than the rest of Wisconsin combined. 

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