Chali Pittman
The sign at MGE corporate headquarters, Aug. 18 2026
MGE filed a tariff application July 15 to set new rates, or 'tariffs,' for large energy customers.
A Houston-based company that prospects land for large data centers has indicated an “interest” in sites serviced by Madison Gas & Electric across southern Wisconsin.
Cloverleaf Infrastructure LLC, a middleman for data center developers, filed a motion Aug. 13 with the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to intervene in a July 15 request from Madison Gas and Electric to set new rates, or “tariffs,” for “very large” customers, commonly understood to refer to hyperscale data centers. The tariffs are meant to directly recoup the costs for data center build-out from the developers, rather than residential and small business utility consumers.
Tom Content, executive director for the Citizens Utility Board, a consumer watchdog on utilities, says Cloverleaf’s filing “indicates to all that Cloverleaf has more than a passing interest in what MGE is proposing, so Cloverleaf may become a familiar presence at discussions in Dane County.”
In its filing, Cloverleaf describes itself as “in the business of working with utilities, local governments and other stakeholders to develop sites suitable for large scale data centers and providers.” A March profile from the New York Times described the company as “modern-day land men” who “work at the intersection of utility companies and tech giants.”
The company jump-started the Stargate campus in Port Washington by acquiring the land and permits that would lead to the $15 billion project, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The project broke ground in December 2025.
Wisconsin Electric Power Company, the parent company of We Energies, applied to the PSC for the first “very large customer” tariff more than a year ago. Cloverleaf also filed to intervene in that application, noting that it was involved in the Port Washington data center project.
In approving WEPCO’s application in April, the PSC made a number of changes to protect customers — including increasing the tariff term to 15 years and covering smaller data centers of 100 megawatts or more (the application called for covering 500-megawatt centers and up). State regulators also included provisions to protect against stranded assets — projects that aren’t fully paid off by the time they’re shut down.
More utilities followed in the rush to get energy rates approved for data centers. In May, the PSC approved Alliant Energy rates for a Meta data center campus in Beaver Dam, but instructed the utility to establish a tariff for future large customers. In June, Xcel Energy filed a similar tariff application.
MGE said in its application for tariff approval that it was being proactive: “Our MGE communities are preparing for these large electric customers,” the utility said, citing data center moratoriums in the city of Madison, city of Middleton, and in towns across Dane County. The delays “provide siting and permitting regulators time to create informed development standards. They also offer MGE and the Commission a timely opportunity to establish electric rate structures before these loads materialize, rather than after costs or obligations have already been incurred.”
Richard A. Heinemann, a lawyer with Boardman and Clark listed on Cloverleaf’s filing for MGE’s case, tells Isthmus that Cloverleaf is “supportive” of the MGE tariff application but declined to share more information. Cloverleaf’s general counsel Katie Wiley and vice president Nur Bernhardt did not return calls and emails.
According to a PSC spokesperson, parties have until Aug. 20 to intervene in the case. After that, an administrative law judge will propose a schedule for the proceeding.
Meagan Tuttle, director of Madison's planning division, confirmed in a March interview with Isthmus that Cloverleaf is interested in siting land on Madison’s east side for a data center. In an email obtained through an open records request, Tuttle referenced a conversation with Cloverleaf indicating that a project of roughly 300 acres would be considered “hyperscale.”
A city moratorium on data centers expires in mid-January. City planners are working to draft zoning regulations for data centers; they are expected to be introduced in September.
Dane County also recently approved a county moratorium on data centers, which only applies to certain towns within the county. Meanwhile, a county advisory committee continues to examine issues surrounding data centers; the latest meeting on Aug. 4 covered the energy impacts and regulation of data centers.
The PSC recently estimated that Wisconsin’s peak electric load would grow by over 40% by 2032. Three-quarters of that forecast is driven by data center developments, according to the draft energy assessment released at the end of June. Public comment on the strategic energy assessment is open until Sept. 28.
