mea v. wisconsin psc -- meta data center energy secrecy
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case overview
| Case | Midwest Environmental Advocates v. PSC of Wisconsin |
| Court | Dane County Circuit Court, Wisconsin |
| Filed | December 9, 2025 |
| Parties | MEA (plaintiff) v. Wisconsin PSC; Alliant Energy/Meta as interested parties |
| Status | Active |
background
the wisconsin psc denied a public records request for unredacted documents showing projected energy demand for meta’s data center in beaver dam, claiming trade secrets. mea argues the psc “arbitrarily and capriciously” denied the request because electrical load projections are not trade secrets under wisconsin law.
notably, the psc released similar records for a port washington data center (we energies/vantage/openai/oracle, showing 1,300 mw) but not for meta’s facility. advocates argue the energy needed to power just two hyperscale data centers in wisconsin is estimated to exceed the combined household electricity demand of the entire state.
significance
this case tests the boundary between corporate trade secrets and public interest in understanding data center energy impacts. as data center electricity demand rivals or exceeds residential demand in some states, public access to load projections becomes a critical policy question.
sources
- midwest environmental advocates: lawsuit filing
- wisconsin public radio: lawsuit expected
- spectrum news: beaver dam meta data center lawsuit
last updated: february 22, 2026