Buildout Tracker
Stargate Michigan (The Barn)
Buildout Tracker (beta): The Barn, Related Digital’s $16 billion Stargate campus for Oracle and OpenAI in Saline Township, Michigan, is under construction while the state’s approval of its DTE power contracts is under appeal and a wastewater discharge permit heads to a state hearing.
Stargate Michigan (The Barn)
The Barn is a data center campus in Saline Township, in Washtenaw County, Michigan, developed by Related Digital and purpose-built for Oracle, which will operate it for OpenAI as part of the Stargate program. OpenAI, Oracle and Related Digital announced the site on Oct. 30, 2025, with plans for three single-story buildings of 550,000 square feet each on 250 acres. The project proceeds under an October 2025 consent judgment in Washtenaw County Circuit Court that settled Related Digital’s zoning lawsuit after the township board denied rezoning. On April 24, 2026, Related Digital and Blackstone said financing was secured for the $16 billion campus, with equity from Related Digital and Blackstone-affiliated funds and fixed-rate, long-term debt anchored by PIMCO-managed funds. At a June 1 event, the companies said all campus buildings were under construction, the first was nearing completion and more than 700 union tradespeople were working on the site. They also announced a $10 million grant to the Saline Recreation Center, in addition to $14 million already committed to local fire services and farmland preservation.
DTE Electric will serve the campus under two special contracts that the Michigan Public Service Commission conditionally approved on Dec. 18, 2025, in Case No. U-21990, for 1,383 megawatts of demand from Green Chile Ventures LLC, an Oracle subsidiary. The order makes DTE responsible for any costs to serve the data center that it cannot recover from Green Chile Ventures, and includes an agreement under which Green Chile Ventures pays over 15 years for 1,383 megawatts of energy storage that DTE will own and operate. The commission denied Attorney General Dana Nessel’s petition for rehearing on March 27. Nessel appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals on April 17 and filed her brief Aug. 6. On Aug. 7, Earthjustice, Sierra Club, the Michigan Environmental Council and NRDC filed an opening brief arguing the contracts commit DTE to more than $500 million in new substation and transmission work without a contested hearing. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy will hold a virtual public hearing Oct. 21 on a proposed discharge permit, No. MI0060445, for the wastewater treatment plant planned at the site. The developers said in June that construction is on schedule for delivery to Oracle.
Project status
Tracker update: Oct. 13, 2026Status board
$16B campus financing announced April 24, 2026: Related Digital and Blackstone-affiliated equity; debt anchored by PIMCO-managed funds.
MPSC conditionally approved DTE’s contracts Dec. 18, 2025 (U-21990); Court of Appeals review pending. EGLE discharge permit hearing set for Oct. 21.
The attorney general and four environmental groups are appealing the MPSC approval; the township board denied rezoning before the 2025 consent judgment.
No delay announced; the developers said June 1 that construction is on schedule for delivery to Oracle.
Stage gauge
- 1AnnouncedOpenAI / Oracle / Related Digital, Oct. 2025
- 2ZoningConsent judgment, Oct. 2025
- 3Power contractsMPSC U-21990, Dec. 18, 2025
- 4Financing$16B, April 24, 2026
- 5ConstructionAll buildings underway (June)
- 6Contract appealMichigan Court of Appeals
- 7Discharge permitEGLE; hearing Oct. 21
- 8OperationalDelivery date not stated
By the numbers
The campus occupies 250 acres off Michigan Avenue in Saline Township. Related Digital says it will preserve more than 750 acres of open space, farmland and wetlands next to the site and use closed-loop, air-cooled systems. The proposed wastewater treatment plant would sit on the north side of US-12 between Willow and Case roads.
Timeline
- Oct. 30, 2025OpenAI, Oracle and Related Digital announce the Saline Township Stargate site. Related Digital
- Oct. 2025Consent judgment settles Related Digital’s zoning lawsuit against the township. Washtenaw County Circuit Court
- Dec. 18, 2025MPSC conditionally approves DTE’s special contracts for 1,383 MW. MPSC, Case U-21990
- March 27, 2026MPSC denies the attorney general’s petition for rehearing. Michigan Attorney General
- April 17, 2026Attorney General Nessel appeals to the Michigan Court of Appeals. Michigan Attorney General
- April 24, 2026Related Digital and Blackstone announce $16 billion in financing. Related Digital / Blackstone
- June 1, 2026Partners mark construction; $10 million Saline Recreation Center grant announced. Oracle
- Aug. 6, 2026Attorney general files her appeal brief. Michigan Attorney General
- Aug. 7, 2026Earthjustice, Sierra Club, MEC and NRDC file their opening brief. Earthjustice
- Oct. 21, 2026EGLE virtual public hearing on discharge permit No. MI0060445. EGLE
Sources
- Related Digital — OpenAI, Oracle and Related Digital announce Stargate data center site in Michigan (Oct. 30, 2025)
- Michigan Public Service Commission — MPSC approves DTE Electric energy contracts for data center, Case U-21990 (Dec. 18, 2025)
- Michigan Attorney General — Efforts to review DTE data center contracts rejected again at MPSC (March 27, 2026)
- Michigan Attorney General — Appeal of MPSC approval of DTE’s Saline data center contracts (April 17, 2026)
- Related Digital and Blackstone — Financing for $16 billion Oracle data center project in Saline Township (April 24, 2026)
- Oracle — Partners and Gov. Whitmer celebrate construction of Stargate campus in Saline Township (June 1, 2026)
- Michigan Attorney General — Brief in appeal over MPSC approval of DTE’s Saline data center contracts (Aug. 7, 2026)
- Earthjustice — Groups ask Court of Appeals to overturn approval of DTE’s Oracle data center contracts (Aug. 7, 2026)
- Michigan EGLE — Public hearing on NPDES permit No. MI0060445, Related Digital Wastewater Treatment Plant (Oct. 21, 2026)
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